The InBetween

Five Haunting Facts (Connie's POV)

The three walked around the village, dazed at what they've just heard. Destiny tried re-assuring them, but Connie was blocking her out. The only thing on her mind right now was her uncle. The fight they had, what she said, then her running away to the forest then...nothing. Just waking up in the place Destiny calls 'limbo.' 

"It's the bridge that connects all four dimensions," She explained "Heaven, Hell, Purgatory and earth. The first three exist outside of space and time, hence why some people might refer to all three as 'the great beyond.' That cliff you saw Miguel? That, if anyone were dumb enough to jump or fall, would plunge you back into the space-time continuum and you'd live on Earth as a ghost forever. That route is usually taken by angels and demons being sent out as consciences for humans. But that's a whole other story."

"That a fact?" Connie asked grimly.

"Yep. I got a friend down there working now."

"How're they doing?"

"As a shoulder angel? Won't lie. Terribly. But you didn't hear that from me."

Destiny's bluntness followed by her cheek helped Connie chuckle and lighten up a bit, but the sadness creeped its way back in moments later. "Destiny, where are we going?"

"I'm bringing you to people I know can help." The angel said "Help you and your friends."

"Where are my friends?" Miguel asked looking up at the woman.

She frowned "That I'm afraid I cannot tell you."

"Can you tell us how we died?" Connie asked without meaning to. But the emptiness she was feeling, like a jigsaw with a hole of missing pieces in the middle, without them, the image doesn't make any sense.

"Oh no," Destiny replied cautiously "You guys JUST learned you're dead. We usually don't give people their memories back right away as it could overwhelm them. But...I feel you two may be the exception. Still, I'm not the angel to disclose your fate."

"Then who is?" Connie asked desperately. Having amnesia was so frustrating. All she had were gut feelings. It was a gut feeling she got lost. And she had a gut feeling Miguel and his buddies played a part in her demise.

"I'm bringing you to him right now." Destiny said, pulling the two past the spotless streets toward a flowery hill. Atop it, a gold and silver castle stretched into the blue sheet of sky above them. Destiny smiled to the guards standing watch in front of the doors. It was a round castle made of expensive marble. A sleek stone path lead to the grand double doors that were being guarded by two angel men in celestial gold armor. Destiny smiled at them warmly "Hey guys. I need to get through, this is urgent."

The guards exchanged looks "We need a reason, you know." 

"How's this for a reason," Destiny began to explain to the guards what happened. How she'd been in Limbo in the first place because she was looking to meet her shoulder angel friend, then instead found two children being attacked by a shadow imp and another two chasing them. The last thing she said wore worry on the two guard's faces. "We think it might be that prophecy. Y'know, the one they said we 'totally don't need to worry about?' Not gonna lie, I'm kind of worrying about it."

"You'll need to take off your shoes." The left guard said.

Connie looked at him warily "Excuse me?"

"Do it," Destiny said, already removing her heels "It's the rules. They'll be here when we come back out."

Connie looked at Miguel, who shrugged and slid off his sandals. Connie sighed as she undid her lace and handed her shoes to the guards, as if she were at a trampoline park.

The realization of never attending a trampoline park again hit her like a bus. She squeezed Destiny's hand, rubbing her thumb and the new rolls she'd made on it, hoping to distract from the threatening tears behind her eyes.

Immediately after the guards opened the doors the three rushed inside. The foyer had silver walls with a few pillars lined on either side. A red rug was draped down the hall with golden cross patterns on its edges. Destiny, ignoring the children's confusion, led them through the halls and up the grand stairs in the center of the castle. Once up, they met a completely different hallway of gold and silver decorating the floor, walls, ceiling and doors on either side of the corridor. Grand diamond chandeliers dangled from the ceiling and Connie wondered how stupid she looked right now gazing at all the beauty before her.

She must've looked pretty stupid. Once Destiny got a glance of her she let out a snort. "Pretty cool, huh? The best of the best live here. Those bible people you probably heard of throughout in your life. These are their rooms"

"It's like church." Connie muttered. "Church is like, the house of God right?"

"Right."

"So this is like, a MEGA church. Because God actually lives here?"

"That's right."

Connie contemplated for a moment. She was actually standing in the REAL house of God. TRUE holy ground. That must explain why they wanted her shoes off. Now she understood. Here with nothing but the wool of her socks keeping her from standing on true magnificent ground.

"Why are we here?" Miguel spoke in what felt like ages. Connie had even forgotten the boy was there what with all she's seeing.

"I won't sugarcoat this," Destiny started firmly once they reached the first door "I honestly don't think I could if I tried. But...I believe you guys weren't meant to die. You were dragged here by those shadow imps. And we're going to find out why."

The woman rapped on the door three times. Silence loomed over the three. Connie backed up behind Destiny, waiting for some sort of threat to jump at them with all the time it was taking to open the door. Eventually, the doors opened very slowly and behind them stood a hyper-melanin winged angel with a raven goatee and manbun. He wore a silver ruffled shirt and bottoms. The man glanced at the angel and smiled a pearly and warm smile. His golden eyes drifted toward the kids and his smile grew wider. "Why hello there!"

There was something about this man that just made Connie so much more comfortable than a few hours ago. She hopped out from behind Destiny and returned the man's smile "What's your name? I'm Connie!" she uncharacteristically chirped. Miguel was showing the same enthusiasm, even going up to the man to shake his hand. "And I'm Miguel!"

The man took the boy's hand without hesitation, shaking it firmly and keeping his handsome smile "I'm Gabriel. Come in." 

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Gabriel's room was like a mini-palace. Or a really, really, REALLY fancy suite. Kitchen, bedroom, bathroom and living room all merged together in this beautiful chamber. A full scale window showed the view of heaven. Miguel and Connie stared out at the horizon while Destiny and Gabriel chatted on the sofa. Connie stole a few glances at Gabriel and tried hiding her red cheeks. He looked NOTHING like she thought he would. Far more...taller. Yes, taller. The girl thought back to her religion classes where they'd describe angel Gabriel as a blue-eyed blondie, in some cases as a girl too. She even played him once for a Christmas concert. Now looking at him, she WISHED her teacher and classmates could see him now and how wrong they were.

"Miguel, Connie. You want to know what's going on?" Gabriel called softly from the couch. The pair turned and made their way over to the cushions. "FINALLY!" Miguel sighed "What happened, how did we die? Why can't I remember how we died? And most importantly-"

"Where are your friends?" Gabriel finished. The boy nodded desperately. Connie noticed how truly concerned he was for his friends, it made her resentment for him soften a little, knowing he actually has a heart to make up for his lack of brains. Gabriel folded one leg over the other and explained everything calmly.

"Heaven and hell have different armies that have butted heads on...more than one occasion. Hell's army - the satanic forces - have been coming up with different schemes to overthrow this utopia for millions of years now. Their newest one, I'm afraid, involves you two and your friends. They have a plan. A plan that requires four innocent souls from earth. What's more innocent than children?"

"But why?" Miguel asked. Gabriel put a hand out, gesturing for the boy to hush. 

"It's a part of a prophecy. A plan they have to awaken their dark mother, Lilith. Wife of Satan. After the second war between the satanic forces and the celestial warriors - that's us - hell brainstormed an idea and created a prophecy. That one day they will create a new successful, type of demon with an entirely different kind of ability."

"The shadow imps?" Miguel asked. Gabriel nodded and continued.

"Yes, hell made those demons and sent them out to kill and kidnap the four of you. Heaven had known about this activity for quite some time, but most of hell's creations often end up failures. We didn't think it was anything to worry about. Their plan was to take you innocent souls to the second ring of hell - where the shadow imps were created - and sacrifice you to the 'darkness' so Lilith would be free and help them overthrow us. I am so sorry you kids got roped into this. Why you guys specifically? I can't tell you, I believe it was purely wrong place, wrong time."

Connie thought back to the river. How it grew dark and murky as it carried Jacob and Tyrone away into the unknown. And if her and Miguel were here in heaven, it would naturally mean that the other two are trapped in...