That night when I slept, I dreamt.
I felt as though I were hanging from a thread, somewhere between my life and my death. The room was tinged with the acrid smell of decaying flesh and musk. I wrinkled my nose against the smells and narrowed my eyes to get a better view in the darkness. The forms of shadows slowly slipping towards me was all that could be made out. I took a step back but bumped into someone. I whirled around and gasped.
Her long black hair looked somehow tamed against her ice white skin. Her cheeks, which looked sullen and sunken in, were pulled up right now into a bleeding smile. Her pointed and gnarled teeth made me flinch to look at their sharpness and the damage they could cause with just one bite. Her oval opaque eyes narrowed and she hissed at me as I caught the scent of poppy and roses on her.
"The Arête. We meet at long last child."
Just by the sound of her voice, I knew who she was, even though Duncan had only mentioned her name once before.
This was Lilith.
I swallowed the lump in my throat the size of a softball and backed up before I felt my divine take hold. My eyes glowed shimmering white and I gritted my teeth, steeling myself for the fight to come. Lilith merely chortled though at my stance.
"Please, save that for my children who will be after you. I have no quarrel for the time being. I simply wanted to convince you to join Lucifer's army's instead of your heavenly father's." She spat the lord's name as if it was acid.
I wrinkled my eyebrows.
"Surely you must be kidding."
"I'm not young one. I mean, it's very obvious that you don't feel very heavenly, do you?" She inquired and I had to look at my feet.
She had a point. More often than not when my divine took effect I felt a dark swirling mass of energy deep in my abdomen. However, I would never chalk this up to the chance that I could be evil. I narrowed my eyes at the She-devil.
"Never in a million years would I join the likes of you."
"Pity, then enjoy going up in flames with the rest of god's soldiers when the time finally comes."
I suddenly felt flames nip at my ankles and screamed so loud that I was pulled out of my hellish nightmare.
I sat upright in bed, screaming and pleading for everything to stop. I was a mortal. I wasn't an angel or part angel, or whatever Duncan was insisting I was. I couldn't handle being anything but human.
Suddenly I heard my window open but I didn't even bother rolling over from my sobs. Duncan enclosed me in his arms without a second's hesitation. He brought me close and held me to him as tightly as he could possibly get.
"Please honey, stop crying. Please, please stop crying." He begged softly, the pain of my ordeal thick in his voice.
"She wanted me to join him. She wanted me to turn against you."
I waited for Duncan to ask who but instead he growled her name.
"Lilith. I should've figured she would come for you at some point."
"What does she want? Who is she?" I finally wiped away my tears and sat back. Duncan sighed but refused to let go of me yet.
"The legend is that Lilith was Adam's first wife, like Adam and Eve. She was, however, too proud and wouldn't lie beneath him. This banished her from the Garden of Eden and still too proud, she slept with one of the Fallen Arch's. This Fallen Arch is now known as Lucifer. She became his queen and they rule the hell realm with an iron fist." Duncan spoke softly.
I was quiet.
"Why does she want me?"
"A few reasons. One, you're still a child."
"I'm nineteen, that's a legal adult!"
"Naomi, she's a demon with hundreds of thousands of years on you. To her, you're a child."
"Fine...what does she have against children?"
"Nothing so long as they're hers and Lucifer's. However, mortal children she hates with a genuine passion after her first son, who was Adam's, was stolen from her and kept on earth to be the barrier between his two parents, and the two realms, one who was good and the other evil. She's known for stealing adolescent mortal souls on their last breath and feeding on their life essences."
I remained silent but shuddered at the thought. I could've sworn I saw a glint of hunger in her eyes when she looked at me.
"What's the other reason?"
"The other reason is, if she is able to make you turn against the lord and join her and Lucifer then it will cement them winning out Armageddon. You're the key to success."
I swallowed hard. I wasn't daft, I knew what Armageddon was. However, the fact that I could be the potential key to winning it suddenly made my stomach clench. I let out a long and slow breath and took a moment to recompose myself.
"Too much?"
"Yes but...I need to bear through it. If I don't, I'll never get used to this."
Duncan was silent but I could feel his pride swell through the room.
"Well, you should go back to sleep for the night. We have more training tomorrow and I'm hoping to get a full day's worth in."
I silently nodded as he released his hold. He moved towards the window, half his leg hanging out as I rested my head on my pillow but I suddenly didn't have the stomach to go back to sleep knowing I would be alone.
"Wait!" I whispered loudly and his eyes met mine. I felt speared to the spot before he grinned softly.
"Stay? Just for the night?" I muttered softly and he came back over.
"Well, scoot over then." He yawned and laid down beside me, letting me cuddle up to him until his arms were around me. He gently whispered into my hair as I fell asleep.
"I'm here; she can't hurt you while I'm here."
I awoke in the field of tall grasses. This place I recognized and I let my shoulders relax as I saw the miniature version of me sitting in the grass a few feet away. She was intricately weaving the stems of the flowers she had in and out of each other. She didn't even look up as I sat down in front of her on the grass, however she did offer me a small smile.
"Hello Naomi." Elijah spoke softly, her tiny voice trilling with harmony.
"Hello." I muttered and examined the flowers she held. They were mixes of roses and daisies. The colors gingerly contrasted.
"So, I see that your powers are coming along nicely." She started but I sighed.
"Not exactly, I burnt Duncan on my first shot."
Elijah simply giggled though like a small child, as though it were as funny as bugs. I couldn't help but give a small grin.
"He's fine though, I'm sure."
I shrugged.
"I guess so."
Elijah now looked up at me thoughtfully. I saw my eyes reflecting back at me.
"You're scared because of Lilith's intrusion."
I was silent, wondering if that was what this sick feeling in my stomach was. Fear. I finally nodded. Elijah gave a slight nod back.
"It's to be expected Naomi. Remember, the demons that are coming for you are doing so by her demand. It's not as though they have a personal grudge against you, they're working under her command. She wants Armageddon but only if it will work to her advantage. You need to keep on your toes for any more of her intrusions." Elijah softly explained and weaved the last flower around her arm. She slid it off and motioned for me to give her my wrist. She began to reweave the flowers around my hand.
"Is there anything else troubling you?"
I shrugged but knew it was a lie.
"Why can't I get used to all of this stuff? To knowing what I am and the world around me that's suddenly upside down; you would think it would get easier but I'm still as edgy about all this as I was from day one. I just don't understand. Then add in all my nightmares and sleep deprivation I just can't win here."
Elijah stared at my wrist as her tiny fingers continued to weave the flowers.
"You've been a human for nineteen years Naomi. A change like this won't occur over night nor within a few weeks. You have to learn to tame your mortal emotions enough for you to handle your divine problems with your angelic side. Once you can do that properly everything else will simply fall into place."
"You mean it?" I asked, as if I was the child and she was the adult.
She looked up at me. Her multi-colored eyes were blazing with confidence.
"I promise." She mumbled.
I felt as though I'd just released a weight that I'd been carrying steadily on my shoulders at her words.
"Well, now the best thing for you to do is focus on your practices with Duncan and handling the mortals in your life. Like that young blonde fellow, Levi?"
I blushed, wondering how she knew about Levi.
"He's just my friend. One of my best friends."
"I believe it; however your head and your heart have mixed opinions about them."
"Them?" I questioned and wrinkled my nose up in confusion.
She looked up at me with a queer grin.
"I wasn't just talking about Levi."
I was silent then swallowed hard. So this little game of Duncan and I tiptoeing around each other was obvious to more than just us.
Elijah only smiled though and finished with the flowers. I looked down and noticed the delicate roses and daisies were now in an intricate bracelet around my wrist. Their beautiful color brightened up my pale skin.
"So long as you wear this bracelet," Elijah instructed "You won't be plagued by nightmares."
I looked up at her tiny face. For a moment I didn't see the rosy cheeks and missing front tooth of my own adolescence but I saw the actual angel of innocence hidden behind the façade.
"Thank you." I breathed, truly thankful for the gift she'd just given me.
"Well, I can do more than just give advice. Just do me one favor?"
"Anything." I obliged immediately.
"Take good care of your friend's. They will soon have to handle just as much as you."
I blinked, taken aback but before I could question Elijah's words, she pressed her palm to my forehead and I was being spiraled into a dreamless sleep.