Her Vision

Chapter 2

Chapter 2 Present Day 2019 

Houma, LA

I walked into my tiny one-bedroom apartment feeling dog tired. My black fluffy cat, Mr. Mittens, greeted me with a loud 'meow.' He rubbed against my legs happily as I walked to my kitchen. I reached into my fridge to grab a bottle of water and glanced at the clock. 

"Eleven o'clock," I exhaled tiredly, dragging my feet to my bedroom, which consisted of a twin size mattress sitting on the floor and a dresser overflowing with clothes. 

I sat on the purple silk sheets with my mind flowing one hundred miles a minute. The hours crept slowly today at Apricot Clothing, the local boutique I worked at to make ends meet. November always meant Christmas shoppers and early black Friday stock. 

I plugged my phone into the charger and gazed out the window, enjoying the quiet of my bedroom. The warm weather showed no sign of snow anywhere regardless of it being so close to Thanksgiving. The south welcomed you with humid, hot air all year long. Despite living in Louisiana all these years, I missed the frosty days of Ohio so much. The snow was dad's favorite, we would build snowmen and throw snowballs at each other in our huge backyard. Some of my dearest memories were those snowy days. I gazed at the twinkling full moon and sighed. 

" Mom, Dad, someone if you are there, please, please, give me some good memories soon," I whispered and drifted off to sleep.

Present Day 

Heaven 

" Gabriel! Gabriel!" called out Raziel. 

Gabriel turned to see Raziel approaching him. Raziel was powerful, his muscles flexed making his aura look brighter than the other angels. His spirit glowed white, which matched his shoulder-length hair and chest long beard. For Raziel to be confronting Gabriel so eagerly, he must have something significant to speak of. 

"I need you to deliver a message, brother," Raziel spoke with a strong tone. 

"To whom?" Gabriel pried.

" Well, as you know, I am informed with all of God's secrets, the way the world spins, how people and souls operate, and all of Lucifer's secrets." 

"Yes, I am fully aware of how important you are, brother." 

"We are about to experience an early rapture. Lucifer stole the flaming sword, Uriel's flaming sword. Heaven and Earth must unite together to stop the coming." 

"Wait, no one knows when the rapture is except Dad himself. You know I have been waiting years to talk to her again, is this some kind of joke Raziel? There is no way Uriel would lose sight of his...." 

"Lucifer planned a sneak attack, Uriel stood with Azrael helping souls cross over. Lucifer sent Ornias, the shapeshifter, as a vivid soul who was ready to cross over. They let their guard down to check the book for his name and BAM! Ornias stole Uriel's sword," Raziel said cutting Gabriel off. “Gabriel, it is time. You must find her and make her believe in who she is. She is the only one who can see through Lucifer and stop him from taking over everyone's soul." 

"I am not ready to face her brother," Gabriel sighed thinking about the last time he had seen her. Her body was limp and cold. Her soul wanted to cross over, but he made sure she stayed alive. If he had to give her his soul to keep her alive, he would have without a second thought. 

"Delivering this message is not a choice brother! Lucifer plans his attack in one day. Here is your work order from Dad. You are not allowed to cross Heaven's entrance until the job is done." 

Raziel handed Gabriel an envelope with a gold stamp and cursive G written across. He released his pale yellow wings. They extended at least eight feet in height and width. Each feather glistened against the soft amber glow. Gabriel could tell Raziel was getting impatient, but Raziel did not understand Gabriel's reasoning for not wanting to accept this quest. 

"Gabriel, the world needs you. The angels need you too, we cannot function under Lucifer's control," Raziel begged then soared off in the opposite direction, leaving a light breeze.

Gabriel let out a sigh and stuffed the envelope in the pocket of his white robe. This is the day he dreaded for millenniums. Lucifer planned his attack in one day, which meant he had one Earth year to make her understand everything and the task was as impossible as it sounded. She has always been so stubborn and bull-headed since the beginning of times. She had her own way of thinking, which made it hard to get through to her. He took a breath and prepared himself to go down to Earth, the place he dreaded most. 

Gabriel could feel the humidity on his white wings as he flew down to South Louisiana. The weather was only one of the reasons why he despised Earth. Heaven stayed at the perfect temperature, always cool with a breeze and sunny, blue skies. 

Another reason for his hatred, people acted heartless and rude, plus he was so out of sync with public interactions. Most of all, he hated that she lived here. 

He could sense their connection immediately upon arrival. He knew they were not allowed to be anything except temporary friends, but his feelings for her were so much more. Just the thought of her made his judgment cloudy. Gabriel landed on the balcony of Anne's apartment. He shook himself out of his thoughts and furled his wings. The dewy moisture splashed him as his white-feathered wings descended into his back. He gazed into the window at Anne. She laid sound asleep in tight blue jeans that hugged her in the best ways, a wine red cold shoulder tee with a gold necklace attached. Her brown curls sat across her face bringing out the cheekbones she did not have before. Her soul shone brighter than ever with an amber glow. In Gabriel's eyes, she looked beautiful. 

"I am only here to get a job done," Gabriel reminded himself. "Now I need to find street clothes to blend in."