EARTH ANGEL

CHAPTER FOUR : THE MAN IN THE PHOTOGRAPH

Elena did not sleep.

Not really.

She lay beneath the covers with her eyes closed, listening to the quiet rhythm of the house.

Every sound seemed louder than it should have been.

The refrigerator humming downstairs.

A car passing outside.

The faint creak of the wooden floor whenever the house settled.

And every few minutes, Elena would open her eyes and stare at the window.

Nothing was there.

She had checked the curtains at least ten times.

Still, she couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching her.

The white feather was gone.

She had searched the entire room for it.

Under the bed.

Inside the wardrobe.

Behind the curtains.

Nothing.

It was almost as if it had never existed.

But the words remained.

Before they find you.

Elena rolled onto her side.

Who were they?

And why did everyone suddenly seem to know something about her that she didn't?

Her father's strange behavior.

Her mother's fear.

The mysterious man.

The elderly woman.

The dreams.

The symbol on her wrist.

And that name.

Aurelia.

She closed her eyes again.

Immediately, she saw the woman.

Silver hair.

Golden eyes.

Six wings.

Elena opened her eyes.

"No."

She sat up.

She couldn't keep doing this.

She needed answers.

And there was only one place she could think of getting them.

Her parents.

---

At 6:04 A.M., Elena walked downstairs.

She expected to find her father asleep.

Instead, she found him in the study.

The door was slightly open.

Light spilled into the hallway.

Elena stopped.

Her father rarely used the study this early.

She heard the sound of drawers opening.

Then closing.

She stepped closer.

"You're awake."

Daniel turned.

His expression changed immediately.

"What are you doing up?"

"I could ask you the same thing."

He closed the drawer.

"I couldn't sleep."

"Me neither."

A pause.

Elena looked at the desk.

There were papers scattered across it.

Old photographs.

A small wooden box.

Several books.

And a thick brown folder.

Daniel moved quickly, covering the folder with his arm.

Elena noticed.

"What is that?"

"Nothing."

She almost laughed.

"Seriously?"

Daniel sighed.

"Elena, it's early."

"You've been acting strange since yesterday."

"I'm tired."

"You and Mom were talking about me last night."

Daniel looked away.

Her stomach tightened.

"So you were."

"It wasn't anything."

"You said the past had found me."

Daniel's face became completely still.

Elena stepped into the room.

"What did you mean?"

He didn't answer.

"Dad."

"Go back to bed."

"No."

"Elena."

"I heard you."

Daniel rubbed his forehead.

"You weren't supposed to."

"Then maybe you shouldn't have said it."

He looked at her.

For a long moment, neither spoke.

Then Elena noticed something on the desk.

A photograph.

It was old.

Very old.

She reached for it.

Daniel's hand shot out.

"Don't."

Elena froze.

His reaction frightened her more than anything he could have said.

She slowly lowered her hand.

"Why?"

Daniel stared at the photograph.

"Because it's not important."

"Then why are you hiding it?"

"Because I said so."

Elena had never heard her father speak to her like that.

She stepped backward.

"Fine."

She turned.

"Elena."

She stopped.

Daniel's voice softened.

"I'm sorry."

She looked back.

He looked exhausted.

Older than he had the day before.

"There's something I need to tell you."

Elena waited.

Daniel opened his mouth.

Then stopped.

His eyes moved toward the window.

Something had caught his attention.

Elena followed his gaze.

Nothing.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"You're doing it again."

Daniel stood.

"Go upstairs."

"Dad—"

"Please."

She stared at him.

Then walked away.

But as she reached the hallway, she heard him lock the study door.

---

Elena waited twenty minutes.

Then she returned.

The door was locked.

She tried the handle.

Nothing.

"Of course."

She looked around.

The hallway was empty.

Her father had always kept a spare key somewhere.

She remembered where.

Inside the ceramic bowl beside the staircase.

She took it.

The key turned.

The door opened.

Elena stepped inside.

She knew she shouldn't.

But curiosity had already defeated guilt.

The study smelled like old books and coffee.

She closed the door behind her.

The folder was still on the desk.

She opened it.

Inside were documents.

Hospital records.

Photographs.

Newspaper clippings.

And one particular document that made her heart stop.

BIRTH RECORD

Her name.

Elena Miriam Vale.

Date of birth.

Twenty-four years ago.

Everything looked normal.

Mother: Miriam Vale.

Father: Daniel Vale.

Everything she already knew.

She turned the page.

Nothing unusual.

She almost felt foolish.

Then she found a handwritten note.

The handwriting was her father's.

3:17 A.M.

Underneath it:

Power failure — six seconds.

Another line.

Unknown woman seen outside maternity ward.

Elena's breathing slowed.

She read the next line.

No security footage.

Her fingers trembled.

Then:

She asked about the baby.

Elena stared.

There was more.

When asked who she was, she said—

The sentence stopped.

The rest of the page had been torn away.

Elena's heart began pounding.

"Who was she?"

A floorboard creaked behind her.

She spun around.

Daniel stood in the doorway.

He wasn't angry.

He looked afraid.

"Put it down."

Elena slowly lowered the paper.

"Who was the woman?"

"Elena."

"Who was she?"

Daniel walked toward her.

"You shouldn't be reading this."

"It's about me."

"I know."

"Then tell me."

He stopped.

"You don't understand."

"Then explain it."

Daniel looked at the documents.

"I was young."

"I know."

"Your mother was exhausted."

"I know."

"There was a storm."

"Yes."

"Then the lights went out."

"Six seconds."

Daniel looked at her.

"How did you know?"

"It's written right here."

His expression changed.

Elena noticed.

"What?"

Daniel shook his head.

"I don't remember writing that."

She frowned.

"You just said you did."

"I remember the night."

"But?"

"I don't remember writing the notes."

Silence.

Elena stared at him.

"Then who did?"

Daniel didn't answer.

A loud crash came from downstairs.

Both of them turned.

Daniel immediately moved in front of Elena.

"What was that?"

"Stay here."

"Dad—"

"Stay here."

He grabbed something from the desk drawer.

A small handgun.

Elena stared.

"You have a gun?"

Daniel didn't answer.

He walked into the hallway.

Elena followed.

"Stay upstairs."

She ignored him.

They reached the staircase.

Another crash.

This time, from the front door.

Daniel raised the gun.

"Who's there?"

Silence.

He slowly descended the stairs.

Elena followed.

When they reached the living room, the front door was open.

Rain blew inside.

The curtains moved wildly.

Daniel looked around.

Nothing.

Then Elena noticed something on the floor.

A black feather.

She froze.

Her father saw it too.

His face changed.

"Don't touch it."

Elena stared.

"Why?"

"Just don't."

The feather moved.

Not because of the wind.

It slowly lifted from the floor.

It floated upward.

Elena stepped backward.

Daniel raised his gun.

The feather burst into black smoke.

The smoke twisted into a shape.

A hand.

Then a face.

Then a man.

The same man Elena had seen before.

Dark hair.

Silver eyes.

Black coat.

He stood in the center of the room.

Daniel fired.

The bullet never reached him.

It stopped in midair.

Elena stared.

The man looked at the suspended bullet.

Then at Daniel.

"You still carry that?"

Daniel's face went pale.

"You."

The man smiled.

"Hello, Daniel."

Elena looked at her father.

"You know him?"

Daniel didn't answer.

The man turned toward Elena.

His eyes softened.

"She's grown."

Elena's skin crawled.

"Who are you?"

The man smiled.

"You don't remember me."

"I've never seen you before."

"That's what they wanted."

Daniel stepped between them.

"Leave."

The man laughed softly.

"You still think you can protect her."

"I will."

"You couldn't protect her then."

Daniel's face hardened.

"And I won't fail again."

Elena looked between them.

"What are you talking about?"

The man's eyes remained fixed on her.

"Your father hasn't told you."

"Told me what?"

"About the night you were born."

Daniel raised the gun again.

"Enough."

The man ignored him.

"He never told you what happened at 3:17."

Elena's heart stopped.

She looked at her father.

"Dad?"

Daniel said nothing.

The man smiled.

"Ask him."

Then he disappeared.

The bullet dropped to the floor.

Silence.

Elena turned toward her father.

"What did he mean?"

Daniel lowered the gun.

"He's trying to frighten you."

"Who is he?"

"I don't know."

"You clearly know him."

"Not anymore."

"What does 3:17 mean?"

Daniel looked away.

Elena stepped closer.

"Dad."

His eyes met hers.

"I promised your mother."

"Promised her what?"

"That I would never tell you."

Elena's voice broke.

"Tell me what?"

Daniel looked toward the staircase.

Then toward the door.

Finally, he whispered:

"That night wasn't normal."

Elena felt the room tilt.

"What happened?"

Before he could answer, Miriam appeared at the top of the stairs.

Her face was pale.

"Daniel."

He turned.

Miriam slowly descended.

"Don't."

Daniel looked at her.

"It's already started."

Miriam's eyes moved to Elena.

She looked terrified.

Elena's heart pounded.

"What's already started?"

Neither answered.

Then Miriam whispered:

"The dreams."

Elena stared.

"What about them?"

Miriam swallowed.

"How long have you been dreaming about the woman with the wings?"

Elena's mouth went dry.

"Since I was a child."

Miriam closed her eyes.

Daniel looked at her.

"What?"

Miriam opened them again.

"Then there's no more time."

Elena stared at both of them.

"No more time for what?"

Miriam looked at her daughter.

And for the first time in Elena's life, she saw something in her mother's eyes that she had never seen before.

Not fear for herself.

Fear for Elena.

"To keep you safe."

---

Later that night, Elena sat alone in her bedroom.

The rain had stopped.

The house was silent.

Her father's words kept repeating in her mind.

That night wasn't normal.

She opened the folder again.

The photograph she had noticed earlier was still there.

This time, she picked it up.

It showed the hospital twenty-four years ago.

Daniel stood beside Miriam.

Miriam was exhausted but smiling.

And in her arms was a newborn Elena.

Elena smiled faintly.

She had seen the photograph before.

Hundreds of times.

Then she noticed something.

In the hospital window behind her parents was a reflection.

A woman.

Tall.

Silver-haired.

Watching the newborn baby.

Elena's smile disappeared.

She brought the photograph closer.

The woman's eyes were impossible to see.

But Elena knew her.

She had seen her every night in her dreams.

The woman with six wings.

The woman who called her something else.

Elena turned the photograph over.

There was writing on the back.

Not her father's handwriting.

Three words.

She chose you.

Elena's fingers went cold.

Then the bedroom lights flickered.

Once.

Twice.

She looked toward the window.

A shadow moved outside.

Elena stood.

The shadow stopped.

She stepped closer.

Her heart began racing.

Slowly, the shadow lifted one hand.

And pointed directly at her.

Elena stumbled backward.

The curtains suddenly blew open.

The window was still closed.

A voice whispered from the darkness.

Not the man's voice.

Not her mother's.

Not her father's.

A woman's voice.

Soft.

Beautiful.

Heartbroken.

"Don't trust the angels."

Elena froze.

Then the voice vanished.

And for the first time, Elena wondered if the things she had always been taught to fear...

were actually the things she should have trusted.

Outside her window, six white feathers drifted slowly through the night.

None of them touched the ground.