Back to Annabel POV! Yay :D I think you guys will like this chapter. I cleared up everything that didn't make sense. Hopefully...
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~Annabel~
My eyes slowly fluttered open and all I saw was bright white light. I gave myself a second to get used to the brightness before I sat up. My surroundings were the same all the way around. Nothingness. Just white. I was alone. Is this what death is supposed to feel like? I felt nothing.
"Hello Annabel. It's so good to finally meet you." I shivered.
"Don't be alarmed. I mean no harm. I am, as Rizoel called me, the big man." Realization dawned on me and I stood up.
"Riz! What happened to him? Is he ok? What happened to me? He looked so hurt... I..." I couldn't even finish my sentence.
"Shhh my dear. Everything will be ok. You, after all, are safe. That's all that matters. You are the prophecy. You are the salvation." A man, God I presume, walked towards me.
I glared at him.
"I don't understand! I'm nothing special. I'm just a human. A weak, stupid human girl. I don't understand why I have an angel soulmate. I'm not good enough for Rizoel. I never will be...." I choked on my words.
"That's where you're wrong." I looked at him with confusion.
"W-what do you mean?" He chuckled and walked so that he was standing right in front of me.
"You aren't a weak, stupid human girl. That would be because you aren't entirely human. And trust me, you definitely aren't weak, or stupid." My eyes widened.
"Now before you panic, there is someone who would like to see you again. She's talked an awful lot about you." A woman came up behind him and my lip started quivering.
"M-mom?" She sadly smiled at me and I ran into her arms.
"Oh how I've missed you darling. My little Anna." The tears were freely pouring from my eyes now.
Ten years. It's been ten years since I've seen my mother. I always thought that would be the last time I saw her. But here she is now. Right in front of me.
"What's going on mom? I don't understand..." She pulled away from me and lightly laughed.
"Come. There is much to learn." She pulled me alongside her and started walking into the nothingness.
Seconds later, a long hallway formed around us and we continued to walk. It seemed endless, just like the possibilities in my life. I knew that much now.
"I see you found your soulmate. Rizoel is a feisty one. Be careful with him. He's not always...good." I wondered what she meant by that.
"Can you elaborate please?" She looked at me with a saddened expression.
"He's not.... How do I put this. He's half angel, half.... Demon." I gasped and pulled away from her.
"What do you mean half demon? As in he has evil inside of him? But his name means thwarter of demons! He's supposed to defeat them! Not be one of them!" My heart was practically beating out of my chest.
"Annabel calm down. Why do you think his wings are black, when angels are supposed to have white wings? Everyone knows he's half demon, except him. We kept this information from him to protect him. His mother is a demon, while his father is an angel. Don't you understand?" I looked down.
"Why wouldn't he know? His wings would of made it obvious, wouldn't they?" She sighed.
"He assumed he was just special. He doesn't know everything. But I suppose he'll find all of this out soon. Just like you will." She said the last part with a hidden meaning.
"What are you talking about?" I stopped and turned to face her.
"Well, I really should start by saying I'm not dead. It'll be hard for you to understand, but I'm not human Annabel. Just like you aren't. Well, half not anyways." My eyes widened.
"W-what are you saying?" I was gobsmacked.
"I'm an angel Annabel. And you, you are a nephilim. A human-angel hybrid." I finally understood what God meant by not entirely human.
"But... Angels can't die. How did you die?" She chuckled.
"Well, I didn't die per say. I was just returned to heaven. That's one thing Rizoel's mother doesn't know. She thinks she's powerful enough to kill angels. But that's just it, we don't die. We can't..." I thought about it for a moment.
If angels return to heaven when they 'die', that means...
"Is Riz's father here?" My mother smiled brightly at me.
"I was waiting for you to ask that." A man, or should I say handsome angel walked up to us.
He was the spitting image of Rizoel, except taller, and older.
"Hello, Annabel. I'm Camael. It's so good to finally meet you." He held out his arms and gave me a hug.
"You're Riz's father. All this time he thought you were..." He smiled sadly.
"Yes. I had to pretend I was so he wouldn't come looking for me. Deep down inside, I knew he didn't believe I was dead. After all, he was brought up to know angels can't die. But he was told that the demons found a way to kill us. He was told the same information about his mother, too. Except, he discovered that she's not only alive, but she's no angel." Realization dawned on me.
"You're an angel. She's a demon. You two had a child together.... But, what about Chapin?" He looked down with a distant look in his eyes.
"Her name was Emily. She wasn't my mate, but I thought I'd never find mine. So, we had a child together. Chapin, to be exact. But eventually, I found my mate. Emily begged me to stay with her, but you can't resist the mating bond." My mother looked away at that, and I kept in mind to question her later.
"Azrael was everything I knew I couldn't have. Demons and Angels are not supposed to be mated, so I always wondered why I was the exception. But even though it was forbidden, we found ways to see each other. One of those times, we mated and Rizoel was born. Little did I know that ten years later, things would change. She started becoming distant from me..." I gave him a sympathetic look.
"That's where your mother came into the picture. Azrael was jealous of how beautiful and powerful she was. She wanted desperately to be an angel, but the thing she really wanted was your mother to feel the pain she felt. She wanted you dead, Annabel. She hated the evil in herself, which caused utter destruction. She caused the accident which in turn, 'killed' your mother. She wanted both of you to die, but you weren't in the car... Thank goodness. Your mother was the last angel to mate with a human." I stared at him for a long time.
We stood in a circle, our eyes constantly moving among each other. I struggled to get the next words out of my mouth.
"I've been told I was part of a prophecy. But, what prophecy?" Camael and my mother looked at each other before they nodded.
"Rizoel hasn't told you much about it because he doesn't know. He's not allowed to know. He's evil, Annabel. He has a lot of evil in him. But you are the only one who can stop him. He's more powerful than anyone knows. If his mother finds out, she'll use him to her advantage. Which in turn, will destroy the angel realm." I gaped at my mother.
"He's... Evil? But he doesn't seem evil... He can't possibly be...." My mother looked at me sympathetically.
"He is. But that's where you come in. You are more powerful than him, Annabel. You can turn him good." Camael smiled at me.
"And so far, you have. He's getting better. He can easily lose his temper though. So you must return before he unleashes it on everyone in hell. His mother will no doubt use him as a weapon. He'll destroy us. He'll destroy... You." I stumbled back and nearly fell.
"He promised he wouldn't hurt me. He can't! I don't understand..." A traitor tear slipped from my eye.
"He won't, because you will stop him." I glared at my mother.
"How? How can I stop him? He's too powerful! I can't even beat him in a play fight! What makes you think I could beat him for real?" Camael walked up to me and placed his hands on my shoulders.
"You aren't going to fight him, Annabel. You're going to fight his mother. He cannot interfere. If he does, who knows what will happen. You have to tell him to leave. You must convince him." I scrunched my eyebrows.
"You must break him." My mother came up next to Camael.
"You mean..." I didn't want the next words to come from her mouth.
"You have to reject him. He'll feel so much pain, he won't be able to fight. You'll fix everything once Azrael is dead. Don't worry. He won't die." I couldn't bare the thought of rejecting my soulmate.
I couldn't do it.
"I can't mother. I can't reject him! It won't just hurt him, it'll hurt me too. Mates can feel each others pain. Shouldn't you know that? Dad felt pain for years! Don't you feel it too?" My mom looked hurt.
"Yes... I felt it for years. I haven't stopped feeling the constant pain. But his pain stopped when he remarried. He moved on. And I'm so glad. Because now at least I know he isn't grieving anymore. Even if I am..." Tears started pouring out of her eyes as she took off down the corridor.
I suddenly regretted bringing up my father. My mom hasn't stopped loving him, even if she can never return to see him again. I never want that to happen to Riz and I. So how can she possibly tell me to reject him? I'll go through what she's going through.
"You won't feel it, Annabel. Riz will feel serious pain, but you can block it out. You must block it out because if you don't, everything you know will be lost. You must defeat Azrael." I wanted to break down, but I stood up straighter and pushed away any thoughts.
"Ok. I'll do it. But you have to promise me something." He nodded.
"Make my mother happy again. She doesn't deserve pain. I know you aren't her mate. But maybe you can help her forget." It was a crazy idea, but I figured it would help.
He smiled at me and I quirked an eyebrow. He started to chuckle and I chuckled nervously.
"Annabel, your mother's name is Emily. You didn't know that?" I shook my head and tried to understand what he was getting at.
Then, it dawned on me.
"Oh my gosh... My mother was the one you were with before Azrael... Chapin is my halfsister!" He nodded and I desperately tried to wrap my mind around all of this.
"You both found your mates after Chapin was born..." He frowned a little and I hugged him.
"I always knew Azrael was evil, but I couldn't resist her. She's my mate. It's just... You have to kill her. I've been away so long that it won't affect me anymore. I'll feel a small pain deep in my heart, but it'll be ok. I'm with your mother now. She won't ever be alone again." I smiled widely and backed away.
"Ok. How do I get back?" He led me down the hall and eventually we arrived in a room.
God stood next to my mother. She looked like she calmed down and it seemed like she'd be ok.
Camael walked over and stood next to my mom. He put his arm around her and she leaned against him. I knew she'd be ok now. She even smiled at him.
"It's time to go now Annabel. We'll see you again someday. I promise you." My lip started to quiver and I ran to my mom.
I wrapped my arms around her and she returned the embrace.
"Shh, baby girl. You're strong. Remember that I love you. See you again someday." She smiled at me with tears in her eyes.
I smiled back. I knew I'd see her soon. Riz told me that once the prophecy was complete, I'd become immortal. I'd be coming back here pretty soon, I presume. I moved to Camael and gave him a tight hug. He pulled away and stood looking at me.
"You can do this Annabel. I believe in you. And trust me, Rizoel will forgive you. You only need to reject him for a little while. He won't be in too much pain. I'll make sure of it. Now go. I'll see you soon." I gave him another hug before walking up to the big man himself.
"You ready?" I looked back at my mom and Camael.
"As I'll ever be." He smiled.
"Oh! Just one more little thing." I I raised my eyebrows.
What else could there possibly be?
"Here." He waved his hand and a giant pair of white wings protruded from my back.
I gaped at them in shock and amazement.
"There. That's better. Now you are ready. Remember, you're stronger than any of them." I nodded though I still had a little doubt.
What if I can't do it?
"You can do it Annabel. Now go!" My mother cheered me on.
God led me to a passageway. It was a portal that led to hell.
"Oh and Annabel?" I turned to look at Camael.
"Let go and you shall be free." I was going to ask him what he meant, but decided I'd figure it out later.
I took a deep breath, then I stepped through the portal.
Hell just became a reality once again.
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I liked this chapter. It cleared things up, andddd it was so easy to write! Did you guys like it? I sure hope so. ^.^ next chapter will be where the action starts.
MEANINGS:
Camael means "he who sees God" chief angel of powers.
Thanks for reading! (:
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