Fallen

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Thirteen

Ariel

The first thing Ariel became aware of when the world cleared once more was the noise. It was loud. But it was a kind of loud that didn't stop. She had never once in her existence been in a place quite like this. The noise was never-ending. Car horns were constantly going off. Engines roared as they drove down the streets. It was just an endless cycle.

The second thing she was made aware of was the hand in hers. Rough and calloused from hard days, it gripped her own, refusing to let go. It kept her grounded, kept her from drowning in all of the unknown factors that were trying to destroy her. Inside of her it seemed as if there was a sea. A sea of uncertainties, of confusion, of doubt. A sea of all her fears wrapped up into one. The sea was violent, constantly trying to consume her to the point of no return. But then he was there. Where he came from she didn't know. She couldn't. Out of nowhere he had dropped into her life. He saved her. Acting like an anchor of sorts, a barrier between her and the attacks that came against her.

She turned to him then, compelled by a feeling she couldn't pinpoint. It was strong. So strong the she almost couldn't resist the urge to lean in closer to him. To rest her face against his neck, to just let the noise of the world around her slip away. Almost was the key word. She steeled herself, her will. She shook off whatever fog had clouded her mind for those few moments. Even if she couldn't bring herself to pull her hand away for, his, she couldn't let herself get lost. She wouldn't. No matter how much her body wanted her to. It wasn't safe. She'd lost any trust she had once had for the males of her species.

He would only let her down. She wouldn't give him the chance to do so.

"Welcome to New York Ariel, the city that never sleeps," with his announcement she brought herself fully back to focus on the world around her.

She allowed herself to look around, to take in her surroundings for the first time since they had appeared in this place. The portal they had jumped through had led them to a dark alley that was clearly abandoned. Nothing could be seen but an empty cardboard box laying collapsed and abandoned paired with a beat up garbage dumpster. There was no sign of life.

Outside of the alley, however, the world was teeming with life.

Raziel, who still hasn't released my hand from his grip, pulls me along with him to the opening of the alley.

"Where will we find this Haniel?"

"Haniel is quite an oddity when it comes to a Fallen. Most Fallen angels, so accustomed to the serenity of Heaven, choose calmer locations to settle in. Not Haniel however. He seems to thrive off of the noise, the chaos that accompanies a city like this. And so, he decided to settle right in the center of said chaos.

"Does the noise hurt?" Considering that she had never been in such chaos, she had to know.

"Not particularly. Although it will overwhelm your senses at first. But for me it was never more than an uncomfortable feeling. I can't say how it will affect you, it could be different. I'll help you through it don't worry."

What would it do to her? Even as an angel she never had very many dealings in the bigger cities. Her gift had been nature centered. Therefore there had never been any reason for her to go to a place like this. A place that as so... manmade.

Nodding her head she steadied herself for whatever reaction her body, her senses would have.

"Very well then, let's get on with it."

With an indecipherable smile on his face, Raziel continues their forward march into the chaos.

She braced herself, expecting all of her senses to go wacky all at once. But she was surprised to find that wasn't what had happened.