Our decisions define who we are and what life we lead, and we should, therefore, dedicate our lives to what we want.
Life is a lot easier for us than we put it out to be. We all know what life we want to lead. We just need to realize it, and act upon it.
Perrie genuinely believes that her life now would be wildly different if it wasn't for that one random name appearing before the leaf that fell on her lap.
As she turned around to head to her room after Taylor left, she stopped in her tracks when she saw Jade was already outside of her room, staring at her.
"Jade? Are you...okay?"
She noticed that the brunette was about to cry, but what surprised her was when Jade ran towards her and engulfed her in a tight embrace. Although ultimately confused, Perrie hugged Jade back and closed her eyes to savor the warmth the brunette radiated. And that felt so good.
☆
Jade woke up to find a face of an angel, hovering above her with a pale yellow light energy surrounding him. He was wearing a hood and wielding a sword, the angel was smiling at her but did not say anything. He offered his hand to her, the brunette gladly took it.
At first, she was confused about what was going on, but as soon as she stood up, she was surprised to see her lifeless body being cradled by Perrie who was sobbing hard. Her eyes grew wide at the scene before her. She looked at the angel who held her hand, but he didn't utter a word.
Jade saw Perrie screaming as she gazed up at the sky, crying her heart out, but she couldn't hear the blonde's cries. She doesn't hear anything but silence. She then realized what was going on. She's dead. And she's now leaving her human body...and Perrie.
She didn't want to go with the angel escorting her, but she couldn't do anything because she was being whisked up to the sky.
The journey was quick, and their surroundings came and went like a blur. When they got to their destination, Jade saw a lot of souls that were just like her – souls that were guided to the gates of the afterlife.
She followed the rest of the souls who were walking inside the gates. When they reached the end, a bright golden light wrapped her. It was too bright that she had to close her eyes.
When she felt that the light wasn't there anymore, she opened her eyes. And that's when it hit her – her time on earth has ended...again. It's time for her to choose another life on earth. She's back in the garden of Paradisum.
Paradisum is the source of the creation of the universe. It was bright and beautiful and glorious. Certainly Paradisum was pure and pristine, ordered and filled, it was abundant and expansive.
There were all kinds of trees growing out of the ground – trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
There were flowers of all shapes, sizes, and kind, with different colored butterflies nipping at them. Different kinds of birds were adorning the sky, while exotic-looking animals roamed the land. Streams of river made its path across the land, and in a corner was a majestic waterfall.
Jade continued to walk until she reached the tree of life to recall everything that she learned and discovered as she lived her human life. She's writing everything down using a fountain pen with a glowing white feather. Its ink isn't black, but golden.
As she writes on the blank piece of paper, surprisingly enough, it never gets filled. Whenever she writes something, the paper just absorbs it and the words vanish, it's instantly transmitted to someone who asked Jade to write everything.
When she's about to write the last part of her life – the part where she met Perrie – she stopped. She tries to recall all their happy memories together, however, remembering those memories brings her pain, which isn't supposed to. Because she's not on earth anymore, she's not supposed to feel any kind of pain, but it's weird that she feels this stinging pain in her heart right now.
She continued to write until she was able to finish everything. She stood up and approached the waterfall. She closes her eyes and feels the breeze gently kissing her cheeks as she smelled the air.
"Anything resonating?" a voice asked her. "Have you thought of the next life that you want to be in? Extreme, maybe? Like you're the last human being that ever lives after a zombie apocalypse?"
Jade chuckles at this. She knows who's talking, she's never seen the face behind the voice, but she knows in her heart who it is. And that's what they often do, they have a small chat after coming back from the life she lived before moving forward to a new life that she wishes.
"I've always wanted to live in the floating city of Venus, or live during the 20,000 B.C."
"That's a good one." There was a short silence before the voice spoke again. "Something's bothering you, I can sense it."
"I want to have a do-over of my last life, is that possible?" Jade inquired.
"Why?"
"Something's not right," she furrowed her brows. "I'm still in pain."
"Not physically, I suppose?"
Jade shakes her head. "No, it's like – something sharp is stuck in my chest. Every time I...every time she crosses my mind and I remember our memories together, I feel like my chest is being cut into pieces."
"You found the other half of your soul."
"What does that mean?"
"Something that you'll understand when the time comes." The voice answered. Jade was lost in her thoughts and was unable to say anything more. "I can't give you a do-over of your last life. But I can give you one more chance to visit her, before you choose your next life."
Jade tilts her head to the side, "Why would you do that?"
"Do you take it or not?"
"I–I'll take it.
"Done." And in just a blink of an eye, Jade's surroundings changed.
She's now in the middle of the road. It was dark but there weren't many cars out. She studies herself and notices that she's not in her 'human' form when a car appeared out of nowhere and was heading towards her direction. She was preparing for the sudden impact but just as she closed her eyes, nothing happened. That's when she realized that she's still a spirit, and the car just passed right through her.
"Great! Now I'm Casper," she grumbled.
Then, right on the street where the car came from, she saw a woman. As the woman was walking past a lamp post, she discovered the woman was Perrie. And she's drunk, holding a bottle of gin on one hand as she walked sluggishly and clumsily on the sidewalk, and she was walking alone.
She approached the blonde, and because she's a spirit, Perrie didn't see her, but the blonde stopped and looked around her when Jade's spirit stood in front of her.
Jade couldn't help it, she touched Perrie's face making the blonde close her eyes and whisper her name, "Jade..."
Jade knew Perrie could feel her presence, and she could see the tears falling down the blonde's cheek even if her eyes were closed. Jade moved closer to Perrie's ear and whispered, "I will come back, and I will find you. I will always find you." Then Jade held Perrie's nape and left a mark. This caused Perrie to fall unconscious on the ground.
That was the last thing Jade saw because after she blinked, she was back in the garden, in the same position where she was standing near the waterfall.
"That was fast, it almost caused me a whiplash. And she changed...a lot," Jade frowned. "As far as I can remember, she didn't drink when I was with her. And now, it seems like she's having champagne problems."
"Time on earth is different from your time here. You were here for only 5 minutes, but on earth, that could be 5 years."
Jade sighs. She couldn't bear the thought of Perrie already suffering for years since she died. "Uh...I did something back there," she admitted, rubbing the back of her neck, bracing herself for a lengthy conversation.
"I know. I saw it. You know there are consequences in every action that we make."
"I'm willing to take it."
The voice hummed in agreement, "You're learning. You're now doing things – things and thoughts that I don't put in your head."
"You know I never forget that your presence is always with me."
"I never doubted you."
"Thank you. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to take a sacred bath to get rid of a lot of these past life memories that I still cling to like a dream that doesn't quite fade away upon waking up. I really like some 'parts' in that life, especially the last part."
"Good. Just remember, no matter what life you end up choosing to be, I'll always see you as my Stealth Angel. A super-person wearing glasses as a disguise while working at CatCo."
Jade laughed, "It's hard to leave you here. I like talking to you."
"Every soul says that. I love them so much that it's not easier for me to see all of them leave this place and take their residency on earth for their earthly adventures," the voice revealed. "I can only bear it because I'm out there pretending to be a nurse or an ice cream vendor at the park, witnessing your stories with absolute compassion."
"I swear, I caught you twice in my most recent lifetime."
"Don't swear, love."
Jade chuckles before entering the waterfall to take her sacred bath.
☆
"It was you who put the curse mark on me?" Perrie gasped. She and Jade were sitting on the sofa as the brunette told her everything.
"I only did that so I could always come back to you every time my soul reincarnated. And because I won't be able to remember you, that mark is my guide – my way to find you. It also protects you. It's the one responsible for keeping you alive without ever ageing."
"If you took the sacred bath before coming back here, how come you now remember everything?" Perrie asks.
"It was the lightning. A sign that I have completed my mission and promise." Jade explains. "And in return, I asked for my memory of you back and chose the life that I want to live for the last time."
"You...You said there were consequences."
Jade lowers her gaze for a minute before looking back up to stare at Perrie in the eyes. "Yes. There's something you need to know."
All of a sudden, Perrie felt nervous at what Jade was about to say. "Tell me."
"I'm not an original angel like you. I'm Lucifer's daughter." Perrie gasp and stood up from the sofa after hearing Jade's revelation, she started pacing back and forth.
The brunette also stood up and held the blonde's hand. "It's the reason why I was able to put a curse mark on the back of your neck. Curse marks are something angels are not capable of. Only Lucifer and his children could do that."
She studies Perrie's reaction, but the confusion on the blonde's face is evident.
"I refused my father when he gave me a place next to his throne, because I didn't want to serve him. I wanted to be in heaven and serve God, be one of His angels." Jade explained, causing Perrie to get even more confused. But she sat back down and waited for Jade to continue her story. "I left hell and knocked on the gates of heaven not knowing what's waiting for me there. To my surprise, an angel named Michael took me to Paradisum, and that's when I started to hear a voice – the voice."
They shared a short silence. Perrie's trying to process everything Jade was telling her.
"Do you think the voice belongs to God?"
Jade shrugged, "I don't really know, but I know that I can trust that voice. The voice gave me a purpose. I became a Stealth Angel. Not even angels like you know about me. My mission is to learn things here and bring it up there before my memories get erased, then come back down here to gain new experiences and learn new things."
Just then, Perrie remembered something. "Now I understand...why Zayn – who unfortunately happens to be your brother – kept on offering me to break the curse and be with you in return. It's because if I take the place in hell that your father is offering me, with the curse mark that you left me, you're bound to follow me there. Your father will be able to get you back."
"That's one of the consequences of my action," Jade admitted. "Being a Stealth Angel, even my own father couldn't sense me. The curse mark is their only way to get to me, that's why they have been following you for a long time because the only person who comes back to you over and over again is me. They probably figured that out."
Perrie took Jade's hand in hers, "I won't let them take you. I waited for this moment for thousands of years, and I'm not just going to give you up without a fight."
Jade gave her an apologetic smile, "I'm sorry you waited this long."
Perrie shakes her head and looks straight into Jade's eyes, "I will wait forever to be with you."
Both of them were teary eyed. Both couldn't explain what they're feeling. Perrie's electric blue orbs held Jade's gaze. And slowly, their faces moved closer together. For only a fraction of a second, Jade's mouth brushed Perrie's lower lip, like the touch of butterfly wings. Softly and delicately. In a sigh, Perrie uttered the almost inaudible sound of content.
As they kissed, the curse mark on Perrie's nape slowly faded away, and Perrie's wings came out. Wings that were not made of the typical white feathers, but wings made of golden light – it envelopes her and Jade.
Faith is your way home, that was constantly in Perrie's mind. At first, she didn't get it, but now she understands. Jade is her home. Her unyielding faith that Jade will remember her one day remains the same, she didn't give up.
She may have fallen, but she didn't side with the devil nor God, but she knew her place – she sided with love. And now that everything is clear to her, she found her way back to the gates of heaven.
As for Jade, the words You found the other half of your soul makes a lot of sense now. They are like the Yin and Yang. They came from two completely contrasting worlds, heaven and hell. Yet, they fit together perfectly, united through their journey back to one another within the physical dimension.
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♫ Can We Kiss Forever - Kina ft. Adriana Proenza