Author: Dina
Title: The Rose
Chapter: One
E-mail: nyaliss@hotmail.com
Disclaimer: I no own Sailor Moon. I no have money. Please no sue.
Inspired by Kimberly Cate's gorgeous story, "Gabriel's Angel."
(Go read "Gabriel's Angel". Even if you don't read this fic, go read "Gabriel's
Angel" Am I getting redundant? Ohhh... I don't own any of that either.)
Author's Notes:
Uhhhh... Hi? Yeah, I'm scared of me too. _ I never thought to see myself
again, ya know? I know I only have one chapter of Slumber out but that's because
I finished the story then someone decided to "clean" our computer and deleted
all the chapters... I was crushed. I don't know if I even want to continue it
again. After all a story is never quite the same as when the first time you
write it. Well, hopefully I'll be able to piece myself back together and finish
it... or redo it or whatever. *siiiiiighs* Enough of that. *bangs head against
wall* Anyway, on with the show? Yes, yes. Thanks very much for your patience
while I blabbered and I hope you enjoy the story!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
...Angel...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"How did you do this?" the Moon asked the Sun in bewilderment.
Venus stood behind the gentle guardian of the night, a slight frown between her
beautiful brows.
The ruler of the day focused his burning gaze on them, obviously sheepish when
he was usually so royally commanding. "They landed in the wrong place..."
The Moon, usually sweet, scowled at the Sun and stomped back to her cloud in an
attempt to comfort the higher angel she guided. She had been very tempted just
then to kick the Sun- hard- but she knew that would do no good. What was done
was done. Now all they could do was sit back, watch, try to guide, and hope that
a happily ever after could still be achieved.
Venus sighed and gave the Sun an exasperated look. "I suppose now you want me to
concoct a happy ending," she said drily.
The lion-hearted gave her a puppy-eyed look. She squirmed, sighed, and gave him
a quick kiss on the cheek. "I thought so," she remarked.
She curtsied then made her way back to her resting place where she could easily
watch her favorite couple. She could have picked them out anywhere, at any time.
The love that bound their souls together was strong enough to even bewilder her
sometimes. Time and time again, through every reincarnation, they found each
other. Usually the Moon would make sure that their paths would cross easily,
that they would grow up near each other, sometimes even together... But this
time the Sun had gotten the uncharacteristic impulse to interfere and had placed
the two lovers as far apart as they could possibly have been. Not in distance...
But oh in so many other ways...
Venus sighed and slanted a look over her shoulder at Destiny and Fate who were
quietly watching with her. She noticed the cherubic form of Christmas hovering
in the outskirts of her cloud and coaxed the beautiful child to sit beside her.
Christmas, who had wandered away from the other Holidays, smiled sweetly and
plopped down beside Venus. Together, they leaned forward to watch.
***
A little girl hurried along the freezing streets of the city, her tired little
legs fighting to keep balance on the snow-slicked sidewalk that was flooded by
big people rushing past her as they fought through each other to get home. She
was headed home too, with her basket of flowers that seemed pitifully full to
her young eyes. It had been miserable weather all day, the snow had been ripping
out of the sky since that morning and hurling itself at everyone that it thought
was foolish enough to be out from beneath the shelter of a roof. She had almost
shouted herself hoarse in her attempts to convince anyone passing by to please
buy a flower, please buy a pretty flower, all to no avail because everyone had
been in too much of a hurry to get out of the snow. She sighed and huddled
inside her tattered excuse of a coat, blinking flakes of snow from her eyelashes
as well as the suspicion of tears. She couldn't afford to cry now. She was
terrified that the tears would freeze on her cheeks. Instead she shoved the
feelings of frustration and self-pity aside to think of her father who she was
sure was waiting for her return home.
Poor papa had become sick soon after the cold season started. He had become so
painfully thin that summer while working in the mines that his daughter had
begged him to stop. He had smiled at her, kissed her forehead, and told her that
everything was going to be okay. She believed him. She had had no other choice
but to believe him. He was wonderful man, was her father. He had also been a
marvelous husband. Mama had died two years ago, leaving the little girl and her
father desolate without her but throughout it all Papa had always been there to
comfort her, soothe her, wipe away her tears when she cried for the mother who
would never croon another lullaby into her ear. Her mother had become sick too.
She could remember trying to take care of the waning woman when she was only
five while her father worked two jobs to try and pay for the medicine that was
needed as well as the daily neccessities of food and water. Every night, when
she was supposed to be asleep, she would peer at her father tending her mother.
There had been so much love between them, so much understanding, caring,
tenderness that the memory of those moments never failed to spread warmth in her
heart even now. Then her mama had died and the light that had always been in her
father's eyes faded. She had the suspicion he would have willingly joined his
wife in death had it not been for their child, but now the little girl wondered
if her father would have much of a choice left.
"Watch out!" a man's gruff voice broke her out of her thoughts.
She whipped about to find herself almost directly beneath the hooves of a team
of horses pulling a magnificent black coach. She didn't care much for the
magnificence of the coach right then and there, however, instead she uttered a
helpless little cry and half stumbled, half ran out of the way and in the
process dropped her precious basket of flowers. She watched as the horses
trampled over the delicate, half-opened roses and felt her heart being trampled
with them. What could she tell Papa now? She bit back a sob and resisted the
urge to curl up into herself and just lie there on the road waiting for another
coach to run over her. Maybe this time she would not have the time to get out of
the way. Little Serena fought her way to her feet and staggered to the crushed
flowers and unrecognizable basket. She gathered them all in, making a sort of
carrier with her skirt, and placed each item there with aching tenderness. Papa
would tell her everything would be okay. He'd hug her and wipe away her tears
and tell her everything would be okay. Only she didn't know if she would be able
to believe it this time.
A warm hand touched her shoulder and she jerked around to stare in wide-eyed
fear at the most beautiful little boy she had ever seen in her life. He smiled
gently down at her and her fear turned to confusion. Why was he smiling? Her
experience of little boys consisted of annoying pranks, name calling, and hair
pulling. She looked wary. Maybe he was just waiting for the right time to
pounce...
"Hello," he said softly, staring at the golden-haired girl before him. She had
smudges of dirt on her cheeks and was clad in what could only be called rags,
but she still looked beautiful to him. "I..." he paused then looked over her
shoulder to frown at the scattered flowers she had been carefully gathering.
"I'm sorry," he said with a catch in his voice. She just stood there, looking at
him, her wonderfully clear blue eyes focusing at the black coach that was
waiting for him not too far off.
Understanding.
"You're forgiven," she whispered.
"I-" the little boy broke off then reached into his pocket to press a round
thing into the palm of her tiny hand. Her skin was so cold... So very, very
cold. He had the sudden urge to bundle her up in his coat and take her home. She
shouldn't have to sell flowers to get money for food. She was so young, still so
young, and yet her eyes... Were so old. Her fingers curled around the coin, his
Christmas gold coin, but she did not bother to even look at it. She kept her
gaze fixed on him. He hesitated then reached around his neck to untie the
leather string he had kept around his neck since he was six. He held it out to
her, a roughly made cresent moon dangling from it. He had made it himself but
had been dissatisfied with the results and had almost thrown it away when his
grandmother had stopped him.
~~~
"It's beautiful," she had said.
"No it's not!" he had pouted.
"Yes, it is, my sweet. In fact, it's magical!" she had whispered with a twinkle
in her gentle sherry brown eyes.
His head immediately snapped to attention. "It is?"
"Yes," she nodded. "Have you heard the story of the Moon Princess?" He had
nodded reluctantly. She had smiled. "Well the cresent moon is her sigil and it
is said, my darling, that anything bearing her mark upon it is magical."
He had blinked at her, a very skeptical blink. She had laughed.
"Very well, little one," she had smiled. "I guess we can give the magic to
someone else. I'm sure they'd like the wishes more than you would."
He had stopped her. "Wishes?"
"Oh yes, didn't you know? It makes your wishes come true," she had said solemnly
as she handed it back to him.
He had frowned thoughtfully then nodded. Together he and his grandmother had
gotten a hole into the cresent moon and he had worn it around his neck for five
years.
~~~
Now he was giving it to this little girl who looked as if she deserved
more magic in her world than she was getting.
"Take it," he offered.
She stubbornly shook her head.
He sighed and stepped closer to her. To his relief she did not cower away. He
reached around her and tied the leather into a secure knot around her neck to
make sure it would not unravel on her way home.... At least he hoped she had a
home. The thought made him frown. He whispered quietly in her ear as he stepped
back again, "It's magic. It makes all your wishes come true."
Serena's eyes widened and she stared at that wonderful boy who had, unknowingly,
given her the gift of hope again when she was almost on the verge of just
slipping down. But still... "Why?" she asked before he moved away.
"Why?" he repeated, confused.
She lifted the cresent moon, never taking her eyes off of him. "Why?" she said
again.
"It's Christmas Eve, angel," he told her, smiling, as if that answered all.
Serena frowned in puzzlement. Angel, he had called her. Angel... She smiled at
his back, a shimmering smile that danced in her eyes and made her face glow with
joy. She wanted to run back home to Papa and tell him of the wonderful little
boy and his gift. But first she had to know his name. She blinked and shook
herself back into the present only to realize that the boy had gotten into the
carriage and was even now being driven away. She tightened her fist around the
gold coin he had given her and raced after him, a far enough distance away that
they wouldn't realize she was following.
The carriage led her to the rich part of town where the streets were clean, the
houses decorated, and the smell of food cooking filled the air. The mood shifted
undeniably here. Gone was the gloom, the helplessness, the grief and longing for
what one could not have that always bore down at the people in her neighborhood.
Here those feelings were replaced by contentment, warmth, a certain tang of
celebration in the air that was happily declared by the lights shimmering from
inside the homes where she could almost make out the happy figures of family
members laughing together as they gathered. Serena, in her innocence, realized
she didn't belong in this world. Her raggedy appearance and thin frame did not
blend well with the surroundings. She frowned, shook her head determinedly, and
continued to follow the carriage until it stopped before one of the townhouses.
She ducked behind a tree and peered around the trunk to watch as the little boy
and his parents climbed out of the carriage while the door of the house flew
open and out came more of his family, hugging, kissing, loving. An elegant black
cat stepped outside, swishing her tail and purring, and promptly found her way
to the little spy's side. She froze, afraid the cat would give her away, instead
it gazed at her with its wise blue eyes, rubbed its silky head on her cheek, and
leapt back inside the house before the door closed. The little girl sat there,
stunned, then she smiled and crept towards one of the large windows.
She found herself looking into a rather large family. The little boy had a
sister and three other girl cousins besides. The whole house was decorated for
Christmas and a fire roared happily in the fireplace. A rug was placed before
the fire and it wasn't long before the black cat and a white companion had
curled up in front of its warmth. She smiled wistfully, wishing she could join
them, but knowing she never could. She sighed and scolded herself for dreaming
impossible dreams. She looked down at the bundle in she had made of her skirt
that she was still clutching and sorted through the tangle of stems and petals.
There must be something she could give back to him, to that little boy that had
breathed magic back into her life, had given her a reason to smile, given her
the strength she knew... in the back of her young mind... her father would no
longer be able to provide her in the years ahead. Then she found it, a rose. A
single, long-stemmed, red rose that had somehow escaped the crushing weight of
the horses' hooves and the cariagge's wheels. Now how to get it to him? She was
right back where she started. She had no way to give it to him.
The black cat roused itself, stretched, and yawned then unmistakably turned its
eyes to her. She could have sworn she saw the feline wink but then she was also
only eight years old so she could have imagined it. The cat rose fluidly to its
feet and went to the front door, meowing and scratching the door's surface,
giving every indication she wanted to be let outside. One of the little girls,
her little boy's sister, got up and opened the door to let the cat out.
"Raye, what are you doing? It's freezing outside," the little boy said, clearly
worried.
"Don't worry, Darien," his sister replied. "I'll make sure she comes back inside
soon."
Serena's mind had gone to wandering. Darien. His name was Darien. It fit him,
somehow. At least now her little boy had a name. A beautiful name. Darien. She
felt something sharp gently pierce her leg and she had to swallow a yelp by
biting her tongue. She glanced down and found the self-same black cat looking
expectantly at her. She stared back. Magic. Darien had said the pendant was
magic. Mayhaps he was right, mayhaps no... But she wasn't about to question
whatever power it was that was allowing the cat to understand. She placed the
stem of the rose between the cat's teeth, after making sure there were no
thorns, and stroked its head. "Thank you," she whispered. It seemed to smile
before returning inside the house again.
"Oh look what Luna brought!" Raye exclaimed in delight.
Luna, the cat Serena figured, ignored the fuss being made about what she was
carrying and made a beeline for Darien. The white cat turned its head and
watched its mate as she laid the rose almost reverently at the young boy's feet.
Darien's eyes went wide and the whole family fell silent.
"For me?" he said in what sounded suspiciously like a squeak. Luna just gave him
an unwavering stare until he finally bent down to pick up the flower. Just then
the room exploded into action.
"You have a secret admirer you're not telling us about, Dare?" Mina, the
self-proclaimed matchmaker of the group demanded of her older cousin. She was
answered by a forceful no.
"It's perfect, just perfect. Where do you think Luna got it?" Amy said at the
same time.
"May I see it?" Lita demanded.
"And you were worried about what Luna wanted to do outside," Raye reminded him.
His uncles and aunts and parents were making no sense at all. They were talking
in a language the children could never hope to understand. It was called Adult.
So the children naturally ignored them for the time being.
Their grandmother knelt beside Darien's chair and took the rose from him to
place it in a small, long-necked crystal vase with water. "Where's your cresent,
little one?" she asked him gently, though something dancing in her eyes said
clearly that she knew where it had gone.
"I... I gave it away," he said distractedly, still staring at the rose. Amy was
right. It was perfect. Just perfect. He stood and walked over to the window to
peer outside while Serena, who had just seconds before been enjoying the
family's reaction to her gift from outside that window, squeaked and ducked,
plastering herself against the house's brick wall in an attempt to keep hidden.
"I wonder who it's from..." he wondered out loud.
"A girl," his cousins and sister chorused together.
Their grandmother laughed. "Oh, Dare, just accept it for what it is. A gift. I'm
sure when the person is ready, you'll be left in no doubt as to who gave it to
you."
Darien wasn't convinced. "But how do we know it is for me? How do we know that
Luna didn't just pick it up from the street and put it down in front of me? How
do we know-" He was silenced by his grandmother's forefinger on his lips.
"Magic, my darling, magic," she told him in a voice he couldn't help but believe
yet he still opened his mouth to protest. "Now, now, Darien. No arguing with
your grandmother. Come, it's time to eat. Then time for bed for you young ones.
You don't want to wake up late tomorrow do you?"
Darien shook his head, sighed, and with one last look out the window followed
his grandmother to the dining room. He wondered if she got home safe, the little
girl he had met in the street, the one with the old blue eyes and angelic face
framed by curls of golden hair. He wondered if she was warm now, if she had
something to eat, if she had gifts waiting beneath a tree to be opened. He was
young, only eleven, yet the desire to take her home with him and put her into
one of his sister's pretty dresses had almost been too much. He shook his head
and grabbed his sketch book before sitting down at the dinner table and bent his
head over it, pencil moving busily.
Serena felt strangely at peace, warm, comforted as she stood to tiptoe away from
the window and out of the rising faces of the cheerful townhouses that welcomed
her to look but never ever to touch. She felt the corners of her lips lift up in
a satisfied smile as one hand wrapped around the cresent moon that had been
warmed by her skin. She would have a wonderful story to tell Papa tonight. She
glanced up at the sky and at the curtain of clouds that parted right then to
show her the glowing face of a perfect cresent moon. She stopped walking,
gripped the pendant tighter, and made a wish... She was going to be an angel,
the eight-year old thought She was going to make the best angel and she'll be
his angel just like he had been hers... tonight. With that thought she laughed
and ran all the way home.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"How is it going?" someone said behind her, making Venus jump about five feet
into the air.
"Must you do that?" she muttered when she was back on her cloud and patting her
hair back in place. She gave the Sun a reproachful look then sighed deeply at
the worry in his eyes. "Define 'It'," she said, raising an eyebrow. She knew
what he meant, she just wanted to give him a hard time that was all.
He squirmed. "Ya know... -It-," he said making funny gestures with his hands.
"That really narrows the field down," Venus said.
Just then the Moon passed them and gave Venus a hug and an impulsive kiss on the
cheek. "Oh, you're wonderful!" the Moon exclaimed, obviously glowing with
delight. She smiled then hurried away to tend to whatever business she had to
do.
The Sun furrowed his brows. "Yes, well... Yes. I take it everything is going
well?"
Venus just -looked- at him.
It was his turn to sorta kinda squirm. He didn't really squirm. Kings never
squirmed. He cleared his throat. "Ah. Okay. Keep it up!" He nodded and walked
away.
Venus just raised both her slender eyebrows and gave Cupid a wry smile. Her son
merely laughed. She turned back to her view of Earth and smiled her secret
smile. Oh yes, it was going very well.
***
Ten-year old Serena placed her basket of roses on the steps of a building and
sighed before dropping herself into a sitting position beside it. The day was
drawing to a close, the people that had flooded into the streets that morning
with their long lists of holiday shopping were slowly dissipating in much the
same manner they had appeared. Her feet ached, but it was a good kind of ache-
if such a thing existed. She had sold almost all of her flowers today. Most of
the people had been in a good mood. What with it being five days before
Christmas and all. She grinned in satisfaction and unconciously touched the
cresent moon that hung around her neck.
She still embraced the memory of that night to her like a large teddy bear. Had
father had listened intently to his little girl as she gushed out the story of
the little boy. She had given him the gold coin and he had looked at it with
something like tears in his eyes and then had tenderly kissed her temple. She
made him promise that he would use it to buy medicine and he had, obediently,
promised, but she was awakened by a sound that night and she found her Papa
tucking away the gold coin for safekeeping... for her. She had almost confronted
him right there and then to demand in all her eight-year old glory exactly what
he was doing, but she didn't. She only watched as he struggled to reach the
small opening they called a window to stare at the night time sky which had
cleared as if by magic just for him.
"Our little girl is going to be okay, Irene," he whispered, supporting his
meager weight with his frail arms by gripping the back of the only chair they
had in the room they called home. "She has a magic about her, my love, the same
magic you had about you that always made people, even strangers, care..."
Serena had withdrawn then and tried to keep herself from hearing the rest of his
words. She had felt as if she was invading in a private conversation almost as
if she had been eavesdropping on her parents as they talked. Her Papa talked
alone now, but she had no doubt that her Mama was listening. The kind of love
they had just didn't end with death. It went on. She wanted love like that.
Nothing less but a love like that.
The next Christmas Eve she had hung around the street where she had met Darien
the year before, waiting to see the unmistakable black carriage to pass by. She
didn't know how she knew which carriage was theirs after all the majority of the
things came in black, but she knew. She simply knew. So she had followed it
again, cradling the most perfect red rose she could find from the day's batch,
and again Luna had fetched the rose from her and had set it before Darien's
feet. Again his grandmother had placed it in that long-necked crystal vase and
placed it right beside the window where Serena would huddle outside and look in.
Just watching them made her feel as if she was part of the warmth that went on
in their home but she knew that she wouldn't give up her beloved Papa even it
meant experiencing the luxury they did. She just liked watching and dreaming
that someday she and her father could sit in front of a fireplace and have a
stacks of gifts underneath the tree to open the next day and then share a
Christmas feast together. She knew that the moon was more likely to scold the
sun than for that fantasy to come true, but what use was it to dream if one
didn't dream big?
"Are you still selling roses?" someone said beside her.
Serena turned her smile to the elderly gentleman who stood expectantly before
her, eyeing her basket hopefully. "My wife loves roses," he said as if telling
her a big secret.
She was touched by the warmth that practically glowed in the man's eyes and she
nodded mutely and stood up to hold the basket in her hands. "Yes, sir," she
said, friendlier than she usually was.
"Well then!" he exclaimed, obviously delighted. "Can you please give me three?"
She nodded and picked out the three most untouched and handed it to him then
accepted the coins he gave her. She wondered though why he would buy three and
it seemed that the question shone in her face for he chuckled and provided her
with the answer without any prompting.
"Three roses for the three words 'I love you'," he told her. "I never tire of
telling my wife that, and thank goodness she never tires of hearing it. Thank
you for the flowers." He smiled and hurried away to catch a coach, leaving a
thoughtful Serena in his wake.
She tied the shawl around her small shoulders and made sure her earning for the
day was tucked securely in her pocket where it would not spill out. She was so
deep in thought about what the elderly man had said that she almost missed the
black carriage that sped by her, scattering a feeling of worry, fear, and
foreboding in the air. She stopped dead in her tracks and turned wide eyes at
the fast disappearing black dot way down the road. Maybe she had imagined it.
Maybe... She cast a look around, studying the faces of the other passey-bys on
the street who seemed completely unaffected by the carriage's passing. She was
really losing it, the ten-year old thought and shook her head. But what if she
wasn't? She frowned and shifted her weight uneasily from one foot to the other.
She supposed it couldn't hurt to check. After all the sunset still colored the
winter sky and the streetlamps were already being lit by faithful men. She
pivoted around and took off running in the direction of the townhouse.
She came to a screeching halt not too far away, eyeing the carriage warily. She
snuck around it and ducked into her usual observation spot. The sight that
greeted her inside the house wasn't very encouraging. The members of Darien's
family who sat around the fireplace looked dejected, their shoulders stooping,
their usually smile-wreathed faces creased with frowns. Even the fire looked as
if it was only making a half-hearted attempt to warm them. She wished she could
just knock on the door, walk in, and ask Darien what was happening. She felt
sure he would tell her. Wait... Where was Darien? She almost began to panic when
a very important- looking man carrying a black leather bag came down the stairs
conversing with Darien's father. Serena actually got enough of a hold on herself
to strain her ears in an attempt to listen.
"He is very ill," the strange man said, a sad frown tugging his bushy brows
together. "His fever is very high and the bump he took on his head isn't helping
matters much. All we can do now is make sure he drinks lots of liquid and keep
wiping him down. Give him a dose of the medicine I gave you every six hours. It
is very important that he doesn't miss even one dose, understand?"
The whole family nodded. Even Mina looked close to tears. Raye's lips were set
in a thin line, her mother was wringing a lace handkerchief to pieces, and the
grandparents looked ready to start banging things around. Only Darien's father
looked calm. Amy's family would not come until tomorrow and Lita's would not be
arriving until Christmas Eve.
The doctor sighed and glanced at his watch. "I'll be back tomorrow," he said and
was ushered out the door. Once outside he hung his head and shook it, regret
painting every gesture he made and every word he whispered. "He's so young.
Darien's much too young to die. Ah, but death never did care about age." With
one long sigh, the doctor climbed into the carriage that usually brought
Darien's family to the townhouses and was driven to his next house call.
Serena surged to her feet, her face masked in an angry frown. How dare he say
such a thing! Darien wasn't going to die. She won't let him! Angels just didn't
allow their charges to die on them. They fought and fought to keep them alive
especially when they were so young like Darien was. She'd show him, Serena
thought as she glared at the disappearing carriage which carried the doctor.
She'd show him he didn't know everything. She glanced back into the house and
met Luna's quizzical eyes. She and the cat had formed a friendship in the little
time they had been in contact with each other. She supposed that if she wanted
to keep that friendship, she should stop scowling so fiercely at the cat, but
she couldn't stop herself so she scowled and shook her head. Luna, strangely
enough, seemed to be comforted by what was obviously the little girl's refusal
to believe Darien was going to die. She knew otherwise. Indeed she curled up
beside Artemis and hid a feline smile. Darien was going to live if the little
angel had anything to say about it and, as she watched Serena disappear from the
window, she knew the little girl would be more likely to rant.
Serena came back later that night after eating her supper with her Papa and
waiting until he was in bed before telling him she had an errand to run and that
she would be back soon. She had been out of their home so fast she doubted if
the words had even registered in his brain yet when she disappeared. She
honestly didn't know what she could do to help the very ill little boy she knew
was wrapped up in the left-most room on the second floor of the townhouses, but
she knew she had to try. Maybe she could just keep him company, though she
really didn't think he'd realize she was even there. She sighed and craned her
neck to try and see a way to get into his bedroom. The logical part of her brain
told her quite firmly that she could be hanged if they found her trying to break
into a rich family's home no matter how good her intentions were, but her heart,
her soul that was older than her mind and much wiser than her heart, told her
she had to go up there. Her soul told her she could help, it didn't matter if
all she could was sit there with him for a few minutes. She glance up at the
sky, at the moon who seemed to all at once urge her on and hold her back. She
carefully took the only thing she had brought with her and clamped it down
between her small teeth and carefully made her way up the tree that grew right
beside Darien's window.
The branches were bare, slippery with snow, and the wind blew cold against her
skin but she kept on climbing until she could look into Darien's room. She had
never seen his room. It was a little boy's room actually, halfway between that
of a child and a teenager's for Darien was thirteen years old. To Serena that
seemed ancient. Actually, she could make out very little of what was inside the
room for only the dim illumination of the fire and a lone candle fought a
valiant battle against the dark. The little girl frowned. She really doubted it
did the sick very good to be swatched in constant darkness. Sure it was evening
but she herself would have prefered to have come awake in a nicely illuminated
room had she been the one sick and, knowing the erratic sleeping patterns of
someone ill, she knew he could open his eyes even now. He would be disorinted,
she supposed, by all that light, but still... She wouldn't put up bright lights
around him, just soft lamps that would chase the shadows away from the corners
of the room that was all. At least, she finally realized, someone had parted the
heavy drapes of his window to allow the silver light of the moon access into his
room as well the watchful eyes of a certain ten-year old minx.
She remained where she was, just watching through the window as he turned and
tossed about, restless in his sleep. She held the rose she had brought him close
to her, protecting it from the plaful winter wind that sought to ruffle its
scarlet petals and perhaps pluck some off. She began to hum the tune of that old
lullaby her mother had sang when she was a little girl. She didn't remember any
of the words, but she did remeber the melody and she hummed it now to the boy
who lay ill and dying through the window. He stilled his thrashing about and
seemed to relax into a healing sleep. She smiled, willing to believe with the
moon shining down on her back that the lullaby had helped even though reason
told her he couldn't have possibly heard her humming.
She saw a shadow dart into the room and soon found herself face to face with
Luna. Serena almost fell off the tree in shock. The cat gave her a stern look,
turned pointedly at the rose, then inclined its head towards the pathway that
led away from the house. This was the first the black cat had ever, in any way,
indicated that she wanted Serena to leave and the little girl was hurt, but
wait... What was that? Someone was going to come inside Darien's bedroom very
soon. Nodding, Serena placed the rose on the window and scurried down the tree
in record speed. She jumped to the snow-covered ground and threw one last look
at the house before hurrying back home.
Grandmere, as the children called their grandmother, walked into her grandson's
room to be presented with the sight of the boy sleeping as soundly as a baby and
Luna pressing her nose on the cold surface of the window. Curious, she walked to
Luna's side and peered outside as well. She blinked at the red rose that was
placed carefully on the outside windowsill, its velvet red petals gathering
flakes of snow. Grandmere eased Luna to the floor and opened the window just a
crack to catch the rose before it was blown away by the wind. She smiled
dreamily and placed it on her grandson's bedside table. It seemed that Darien
had a guardian angel.
Serena came by the next night, again with a rose in hand, and the melody of the
lullaby playing on her lips. Again she climbed up the tree and settled herself
on the same branch she had perched on the previous night as she watched over
him, humming the whole time. Again he was tossing in his sleep and again he
calmed and settled down as soon as she began to hum. Perhaps it was coincidence,
but it was a comforting coincidence for the little girl because it told her she
wasn't making the trips in vain. Luna came again that night and this time Serena
knew to leave the rose and make as hasty exit as possible.
Now, Grandmere believed in angels and she also believed in magic. She also knew
that kind people who did wonderful things like send his grandson roses on
Christmas and watch over him while he was ill deserved to be as secretive as
possible. Besides, Luna seemed to trust this person and she trusted the cat's
judgement of people's characters better than her own. It also seemed to her that
her grandson was sleeping better and therefore healing rapidly. She was quite
content to allow the angel to keep his or her identity a secret for as long as
he or she wanted. It was purely an accident,therefore, when she discovered
Serena.
The little girl had settled down on what she now thought of as her branch,
completely unaware that Grandmere was obscured from her view because the elderly
woman was putting Darien's newly washed clothes into his closet which stood
against the same wall the window was built into. Now the lady had first
dismissed Serena's humming for the wind passing through the leaves as it usually
did until she realized that there was a definite melody in the tune and that it
appeared to be soothing Darien from his fitfil sleep into deep slumber. She
resisted the urge to run to the window and look outside and just kept on
systematically putting her grandson's clothing away. Perhaps the hummer would be
gone when she was finished, then she wouldn't have to shatter the veil of
mystery the person had kept around his or her identity for only two short years.
The one humming was still there when she finished and shut the closet doors. A
girl, Grandmere thought, it must be a girl. With that thought she allowed
herself to be pulled towards the window until she stood beside it, as close to
the wall as she could possibly get then finally resigning herself to what seemed
to be Fate's decision for the two of them to meet, Grandmere eased herself into
view.
Serena was barely able to swallow the scream. She stared in horror at the woman
who simply looked back at her through the glass. She whimpered, pinned to the
branch by that look. It was the grandmother. The grandmother had discovered her.
They would surely call the police now and then they would drag her to those
horrible places she had heard her neighbors call prison. She couldn't help it.
Serena began to cry.
Grandmere stared at the girl who sat precariously on a branch of the tree
outside her grandson's window with her heart in her mouth. What if she fell? She
could see the shock then terror grow in the clear blue eyes and then the tears
pool before slipping down smooth cheeks. She was beautiful, was Darien's angel,
and very much human. Never mind the ethereal glow the moon cast around her or
the fragile air that just hung on every inch of her. The angel was human, just a
little girl with dirt- streaked cheeks and tattered clothes, but in the
grandmother's eyes she was the most regally clad angel and in her hands she held
the most precious of gifts. The rose.
"Hello, little one," Serena heard the grandmother whisper. She hiccuped and
peered at the lady through solidifying tears as if expecting to be swiped at and
knocked off the tree. "Would you like to come in?"
The little girl figured the lady might as well have pushed her off the branch.
She blinked, for the second time bewildered by a member of Darien's family. She
looked back, uncertain. "May I?" she asked meekly, softly, afraid that she had
only imagined the invitation.
For an answer Grandmere opened the window and reached out to lift the extremely
light little girl into her arms, out of the cold, and into her home. She placed
her precious burden on the floor and quickly shut the cold wind out again. They
stood there, child and grandmother, staring at each other in silence. It was
Serena who broke the gaze. She turned her attention to the bedside table where
the two roses she had left were sitting in a vase. She padded silently to it and
placed the third rose between the two, then she stepped back to admire her work
with a gentle little smile.
"Would you watch him for me?" Grandmere asked, not trusting herself to speak
above a whisper. What if she spoke loud enough and the girl vanished?
Serena nodded a ferverent yes in response and moved closer to the bed.
"Why do you stand, little one?" the lady asked, puzzled.
"Because I'm afraid I'll get the pretty things dirty," she responded simply.
The grandmother bit her lip and tenderly lifted Serena into her arms and hugged
her quietly before setting her on the bed. "I'll be back, angel," she told the
girl. "Okay?"
Serena nodded mutely and waited until the lady was out of the room before
turning her attention back to the purpose of her visit. Darien. She scooted off
the bed and returned to where she was standing.
"You'll be okay, Dare," she told him in a fierce whisper. "You're getting better
already, aren't you? You'll be as good as new come Christmas morning," she
promised. "Know how? Because I wished it," she nodded unaware that Grandmere had
come back and was now standing just outdise the door. "I wished it Dare and it
has to come true because you told me it was magic." She held it up and the
silver cresent moon caught what little light there was in the room and seemed to
shine. "So don't worry. Everything will be back to normal." She nodded finally
satisfied with her speech. "Goodnight, Darien."
She tiptoed her way back to the window and opened it, squeezing herself out and
managing to transfer herself onto the branch. She scurried down in her usual
fashion and was almost out of sight when Grandmere got to the window to close
it. She watched the figure disappear into the night, the warm set of clothing
she had fetched still clutched in her arms. She whispered two words, "Thank
you."
She came again the on Christmas Eve and this time the lady was waiting there for
her. She didn't ask Serena for her name but without hesitation opened the window
and lifted the girl inside. She ushered Serena into Darien's bathroom and bathed
her without a word before drying her off.
"Now you can stay beside him," the woman told the child, "without worrying about
the sheets."
Serena merely stared.
"Don't you think she should wear white, Grandmere?" they heard someone say
behind them. Their heads swiveled around in unison to find Raye standing at the
doorway, her arms full of one of her white silk dresses. "Angels always wear
white," the raven-haired child said wisely.
The angel looked ready to bolt and she would have if Grandmere had not held on
to her.
Raye's smile left her face and was replaced by a solemn look of promise. "I
won't tell them," she told Serena. "I won't tell him. It will be a secret. Just
between the three of us. I can keep a secret, can't I Grandmere?"
Her grandmother smiled gently then nodded, reassuring Serena with a hug. "Yes,
she can... Come here, Raye. Help her dress."
Raye was only too happy to comply and soon, despite Serena's initial shyness and
wariness, they were whispering happily to each other, forging a fast and strong
friendship. It was a beautiful white dress with frills and lace and bows, but
Serena hardly noticed, all she cared about was that now she was clean enough to
sit on Darien's bed without making it dirty. And sit on it she did. She hummed
the lullaby to him as she twirled the rose of the night between her hands. Raye
stayed beside her, chattering in hushed tones as to not wake everybody else. The
one person who was not supposed to awake, however, did.
Darien blinked open his eyes and whispered rather hoarsely, "Water.."
Serena froze. Oh God, oh God, oh God, oh God, oh God, oh- Her silent chant was
cut off when she felt someone pressing a glass of water into her hand. Her
fingers curled around it and she placed the rose on top of the sheet and crawled
hesitantly to Darien's side. She looked down at him, at his face that was now
much thinner than she rememberd, at his eyes still hazy from sleep and the
illness he was recovering from. And he was recovering, a fact that had surprised
and delighted the doctor who had given him up for dead. Serena lifted his head
up gently, in much the same way she used to do to her father when he had been to
ill to even move, and assisted him in drinking the water.
When he finished drinking, Darien turned his unfocused gaze to her face. All he
could make out were a pair of wide blue eyes, a cloud of golden hair, and the
frothy whiteness of a dress. "Who... are you?" he croaked.
Serena said nothing and instead began to hum. She reached for the rose and held
it in front of him. He reached out, weakly, and took it from her. Red. It was
red. A rose. He frowned, not quite able to fully comprehend. He turned back to
her.
"Merry Christmas, Darien," Serena whispered, sniffling. She was crying. She'd
wanted to say those words to him since the first time she met him. She smiled
through her tears and kissed his still warm cheek.
He stared back at her and touched her hair. "Angel," he said softly.
Serena just shook her head and reluctantly pulled away. She turned to Raye and
Grandmere with a wet smile. "I should go now... Papa must be worried," she told
them then clutched a fistful of the dress of she was wearing. "May I have my
clothes back?"
Grandmere swallowed back tears. It had never occured to her that the little girl
would have a family to go back to, loved ones that would worry. It had never
once occured to her that they just couldn't simply keep her and ask her to stay.
"You can keep the dress," Raye said quietly and when Serena began to protest the
other girl said, "Please?"
The fair one stared at Raye then reluctantly nodded. "It'll get ruined when I
climb down the tree though," she warned.
"You're not climbing down any tree," Grandmere said as she dropped a coat around
Serena's shoulders and fastened shoes on the girl's feet. "Come one, sweeting,
you're taking the door."
So together, the three of them snuck through the hallway, down the stairs,
through the kitchen, and out the back door. Serena broke away from them as soon
as the door opened, running out of their sight with amazing speed.
"Are you sure she's real, Grandmere?" Raye asked.
"Very sure, my darling. Very sure. Now off to bed with you. We have a long day
ahead of us tomorrow."
Raye nodded and obediently went to her room. On her way she passed her brother's
room with its door still ajar. She peeked in. "Dare?" she whispered.
No answer.
She went inside and climbed on her brother's bed. "Darien?"
He turned away from the rose in his hands and stared at her. "One day I'm going
to find her, Raye," he told his sister.
And Raye, looking at her brother's pale face and into his glittering blue eyes,
believed him.
Not too far away, a father embraced his daughter and wept.
"There are angels on this earth", he thought as he looked at her all wrapped up
in clothes they would normally never be able to afford but he had nevertheless
longed to give her.
~There are angels on this earth.~
_______________________________________________________________________
:More Author's notes:
Is it just me or does anybody else think I am way off my rocker? ^ ^*;; Please
give me feedback. Good or bad. I hope it's good. *wrings hands* Actually, there
are three parts to this story. The other two are in my head. I was going to
write it all out tonight but my brain died on me. I need to get a new one.
Besides, I suppose this story can stand on its own... Suppose being the key
word. So e-mail me please? Please? Please? Please? *wonders if she has to beg*
PLEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSEEEEEE??? *begs* Please tell me if its worth
writing out the other two parts. Otherwise I'll go putter around with another
idea until it decides I'm good enough for it to actually take form. You know
something? These things are very addictive. The author's notes I mean. I could
write pages and pages of just this stuff... On second thought... I don't think
that would be appreciated though. ^ ^*;; Okay, enough with the babbling. Hope
you enjoyed what little there is of the story. The childhood part actually got
longer than I intended. *urks* @_@ Oi. I'll never shut up so... Ummm... E-mail
is very good!
Always,
Dina
Title: The Rose
Chapter: One
E-mail: nyaliss@hotmail.com
Disclaimer: I no own Sailor Moon. I no have money. Please no sue.
Inspired by Kimberly Cate's gorgeous story, "Gabriel's Angel."
(Go read "Gabriel's Angel". Even if you don't read this fic, go read "Gabriel's
Angel" Am I getting redundant? Ohhh... I don't own any of that either.)
Author's Notes:
Uhhhh... Hi? Yeah, I'm scared of me too. _ I never thought to see myself
again, ya know? I know I only have one chapter of Slumber out but that's because
I finished the story then someone decided to "clean" our computer and deleted
all the chapters... I was crushed. I don't know if I even want to continue it
again. After all a story is never quite the same as when the first time you
write it. Well, hopefully I'll be able to piece myself back together and finish
it... or redo it or whatever. *siiiiiighs* Enough of that. *bangs head against
wall* Anyway, on with the show? Yes, yes. Thanks very much for your patience
while I blabbered and I hope you enjoy the story!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
...Angel...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"How did you do this?" the Moon asked the Sun in bewilderment.
Venus stood behind the gentle guardian of the night, a slight frown between her
beautiful brows.
The ruler of the day focused his burning gaze on them, obviously sheepish when
he was usually so royally commanding. "They landed in the wrong place..."
The Moon, usually sweet, scowled at the Sun and stomped back to her cloud in an
attempt to comfort the higher angel she guided. She had been very tempted just
then to kick the Sun- hard- but she knew that would do no good. What was done
was done. Now all they could do was sit back, watch, try to guide, and hope that
a happily ever after could still be achieved.
Venus sighed and gave the Sun an exasperated look. "I suppose now you want me to
concoct a happy ending," she said drily.
The lion-hearted gave her a puppy-eyed look. She squirmed, sighed, and gave him
a quick kiss on the cheek. "I thought so," she remarked.
She curtsied then made her way back to her resting place where she could easily
watch her favorite couple. She could have picked them out anywhere, at any time.
The love that bound their souls together was strong enough to even bewilder her
sometimes. Time and time again, through every reincarnation, they found each
other. Usually the Moon would make sure that their paths would cross easily,
that they would grow up near each other, sometimes even together... But this
time the Sun had gotten the uncharacteristic impulse to interfere and had placed
the two lovers as far apart as they could possibly have been. Not in distance...
But oh in so many other ways...
Venus sighed and slanted a look over her shoulder at Destiny and Fate who were
quietly watching with her. She noticed the cherubic form of Christmas hovering
in the outskirts of her cloud and coaxed the beautiful child to sit beside her.
Christmas, who had wandered away from the other Holidays, smiled sweetly and
plopped down beside Venus. Together, they leaned forward to watch.
***
A little girl hurried along the freezing streets of the city, her tired little
legs fighting to keep balance on the snow-slicked sidewalk that was flooded by
big people rushing past her as they fought through each other to get home. She
was headed home too, with her basket of flowers that seemed pitifully full to
her young eyes. It had been miserable weather all day, the snow had been ripping
out of the sky since that morning and hurling itself at everyone that it thought
was foolish enough to be out from beneath the shelter of a roof. She had almost
shouted herself hoarse in her attempts to convince anyone passing by to please
buy a flower, please buy a pretty flower, all to no avail because everyone had
been in too much of a hurry to get out of the snow. She sighed and huddled
inside her tattered excuse of a coat, blinking flakes of snow from her eyelashes
as well as the suspicion of tears. She couldn't afford to cry now. She was
terrified that the tears would freeze on her cheeks. Instead she shoved the
feelings of frustration and self-pity aside to think of her father who she was
sure was waiting for her return home.
Poor papa had become sick soon after the cold season started. He had become so
painfully thin that summer while working in the mines that his daughter had
begged him to stop. He had smiled at her, kissed her forehead, and told her that
everything was going to be okay. She believed him. She had had no other choice
but to believe him. He was wonderful man, was her father. He had also been a
marvelous husband. Mama had died two years ago, leaving the little girl and her
father desolate without her but throughout it all Papa had always been there to
comfort her, soothe her, wipe away her tears when she cried for the mother who
would never croon another lullaby into her ear. Her mother had become sick too.
She could remember trying to take care of the waning woman when she was only
five while her father worked two jobs to try and pay for the medicine that was
needed as well as the daily neccessities of food and water. Every night, when
she was supposed to be asleep, she would peer at her father tending her mother.
There had been so much love between them, so much understanding, caring,
tenderness that the memory of those moments never failed to spread warmth in her
heart even now. Then her mama had died and the light that had always been in her
father's eyes faded. She had the suspicion he would have willingly joined his
wife in death had it not been for their child, but now the little girl wondered
if her father would have much of a choice left.
"Watch out!" a man's gruff voice broke her out of her thoughts.
She whipped about to find herself almost directly beneath the hooves of a team
of horses pulling a magnificent black coach. She didn't care much for the
magnificence of the coach right then and there, however, instead she uttered a
helpless little cry and half stumbled, half ran out of the way and in the
process dropped her precious basket of flowers. She watched as the horses
trampled over the delicate, half-opened roses and felt her heart being trampled
with them. What could she tell Papa now? She bit back a sob and resisted the
urge to curl up into herself and just lie there on the road waiting for another
coach to run over her. Maybe this time she would not have the time to get out of
the way. Little Serena fought her way to her feet and staggered to the crushed
flowers and unrecognizable basket. She gathered them all in, making a sort of
carrier with her skirt, and placed each item there with aching tenderness. Papa
would tell her everything would be okay. He'd hug her and wipe away her tears
and tell her everything would be okay. Only she didn't know if she would be able
to believe it this time.
A warm hand touched her shoulder and she jerked around to stare in wide-eyed
fear at the most beautiful little boy she had ever seen in her life. He smiled
gently down at her and her fear turned to confusion. Why was he smiling? Her
experience of little boys consisted of annoying pranks, name calling, and hair
pulling. She looked wary. Maybe he was just waiting for the right time to
pounce...
"Hello," he said softly, staring at the golden-haired girl before him. She had
smudges of dirt on her cheeks and was clad in what could only be called rags,
but she still looked beautiful to him. "I..." he paused then looked over her
shoulder to frown at the scattered flowers she had been carefully gathering.
"I'm sorry," he said with a catch in his voice. She just stood there, looking at
him, her wonderfully clear blue eyes focusing at the black coach that was
waiting for him not too far off.
Understanding.
"You're forgiven," she whispered.
"I-" the little boy broke off then reached into his pocket to press a round
thing into the palm of her tiny hand. Her skin was so cold... So very, very
cold. He had the sudden urge to bundle her up in his coat and take her home. She
shouldn't have to sell flowers to get money for food. She was so young, still so
young, and yet her eyes... Were so old. Her fingers curled around the coin, his
Christmas gold coin, but she did not bother to even look at it. She kept her
gaze fixed on him. He hesitated then reached around his neck to untie the
leather string he had kept around his neck since he was six. He held it out to
her, a roughly made cresent moon dangling from it. He had made it himself but
had been dissatisfied with the results and had almost thrown it away when his
grandmother had stopped him.
~~~
"It's beautiful," she had said.
"No it's not!" he had pouted.
"Yes, it is, my sweet. In fact, it's magical!" she had whispered with a twinkle
in her gentle sherry brown eyes.
His head immediately snapped to attention. "It is?"
"Yes," she nodded. "Have you heard the story of the Moon Princess?" He had
nodded reluctantly. She had smiled. "Well the cresent moon is her sigil and it
is said, my darling, that anything bearing her mark upon it is magical."
He had blinked at her, a very skeptical blink. She had laughed.
"Very well, little one," she had smiled. "I guess we can give the magic to
someone else. I'm sure they'd like the wishes more than you would."
He had stopped her. "Wishes?"
"Oh yes, didn't you know? It makes your wishes come true," she had said solemnly
as she handed it back to him.
He had frowned thoughtfully then nodded. Together he and his grandmother had
gotten a hole into the cresent moon and he had worn it around his neck for five
years.
~~~
Now he was giving it to this little girl who looked as if she deserved
more magic in her world than she was getting.
"Take it," he offered.
She stubbornly shook her head.
He sighed and stepped closer to her. To his relief she did not cower away. He
reached around her and tied the leather into a secure knot around her neck to
make sure it would not unravel on her way home.... At least he hoped she had a
home. The thought made him frown. He whispered quietly in her ear as he stepped
back again, "It's magic. It makes all your wishes come true."
Serena's eyes widened and she stared at that wonderful boy who had, unknowingly,
given her the gift of hope again when she was almost on the verge of just
slipping down. But still... "Why?" she asked before he moved away.
"Why?" he repeated, confused.
She lifted the cresent moon, never taking her eyes off of him. "Why?" she said
again.
"It's Christmas Eve, angel," he told her, smiling, as if that answered all.
Serena frowned in puzzlement. Angel, he had called her. Angel... She smiled at
his back, a shimmering smile that danced in her eyes and made her face glow with
joy. She wanted to run back home to Papa and tell him of the wonderful little
boy and his gift. But first she had to know his name. She blinked and shook
herself back into the present only to realize that the boy had gotten into the
carriage and was even now being driven away. She tightened her fist around the
gold coin he had given her and raced after him, a far enough distance away that
they wouldn't realize she was following.
The carriage led her to the rich part of town where the streets were clean, the
houses decorated, and the smell of food cooking filled the air. The mood shifted
undeniably here. Gone was the gloom, the helplessness, the grief and longing for
what one could not have that always bore down at the people in her neighborhood.
Here those feelings were replaced by contentment, warmth, a certain tang of
celebration in the air that was happily declared by the lights shimmering from
inside the homes where she could almost make out the happy figures of family
members laughing together as they gathered. Serena, in her innocence, realized
she didn't belong in this world. Her raggedy appearance and thin frame did not
blend well with the surroundings. She frowned, shook her head determinedly, and
continued to follow the carriage until it stopped before one of the townhouses.
She ducked behind a tree and peered around the trunk to watch as the little boy
and his parents climbed out of the carriage while the door of the house flew
open and out came more of his family, hugging, kissing, loving. An elegant black
cat stepped outside, swishing her tail and purring, and promptly found her way
to the little spy's side. She froze, afraid the cat would give her away, instead
it gazed at her with its wise blue eyes, rubbed its silky head on her cheek, and
leapt back inside the house before the door closed. The little girl sat there,
stunned, then she smiled and crept towards one of the large windows.
She found herself looking into a rather large family. The little boy had a
sister and three other girl cousins besides. The whole house was decorated for
Christmas and a fire roared happily in the fireplace. A rug was placed before
the fire and it wasn't long before the black cat and a white companion had
curled up in front of its warmth. She smiled wistfully, wishing she could join
them, but knowing she never could. She sighed and scolded herself for dreaming
impossible dreams. She looked down at the bundle in she had made of her skirt
that she was still clutching and sorted through the tangle of stems and petals.
There must be something she could give back to him, to that little boy that had
breathed magic back into her life, had given her a reason to smile, given her
the strength she knew... in the back of her young mind... her father would no
longer be able to provide her in the years ahead. Then she found it, a rose. A
single, long-stemmed, red rose that had somehow escaped the crushing weight of
the horses' hooves and the cariagge's wheels. Now how to get it to him? She was
right back where she started. She had no way to give it to him.
The black cat roused itself, stretched, and yawned then unmistakably turned its
eyes to her. She could have sworn she saw the feline wink but then she was also
only eight years old so she could have imagined it. The cat rose fluidly to its
feet and went to the front door, meowing and scratching the door's surface,
giving every indication she wanted to be let outside. One of the little girls,
her little boy's sister, got up and opened the door to let the cat out.
"Raye, what are you doing? It's freezing outside," the little boy said, clearly
worried.
"Don't worry, Darien," his sister replied. "I'll make sure she comes back inside
soon."
Serena's mind had gone to wandering. Darien. His name was Darien. It fit him,
somehow. At least now her little boy had a name. A beautiful name. Darien. She
felt something sharp gently pierce her leg and she had to swallow a yelp by
biting her tongue. She glanced down and found the self-same black cat looking
expectantly at her. She stared back. Magic. Darien had said the pendant was
magic. Mayhaps he was right, mayhaps no... But she wasn't about to question
whatever power it was that was allowing the cat to understand. She placed the
stem of the rose between the cat's teeth, after making sure there were no
thorns, and stroked its head. "Thank you," she whispered. It seemed to smile
before returning inside the house again.
"Oh look what Luna brought!" Raye exclaimed in delight.
Luna, the cat Serena figured, ignored the fuss being made about what she was
carrying and made a beeline for Darien. The white cat turned its head and
watched its mate as she laid the rose almost reverently at the young boy's feet.
Darien's eyes went wide and the whole family fell silent.
"For me?" he said in what sounded suspiciously like a squeak. Luna just gave him
an unwavering stare until he finally bent down to pick up the flower. Just then
the room exploded into action.
"You have a secret admirer you're not telling us about, Dare?" Mina, the
self-proclaimed matchmaker of the group demanded of her older cousin. She was
answered by a forceful no.
"It's perfect, just perfect. Where do you think Luna got it?" Amy said at the
same time.
"May I see it?" Lita demanded.
"And you were worried about what Luna wanted to do outside," Raye reminded him.
His uncles and aunts and parents were making no sense at all. They were talking
in a language the children could never hope to understand. It was called Adult.
So the children naturally ignored them for the time being.
Their grandmother knelt beside Darien's chair and took the rose from him to
place it in a small, long-necked crystal vase with water. "Where's your cresent,
little one?" she asked him gently, though something dancing in her eyes said
clearly that she knew where it had gone.
"I... I gave it away," he said distractedly, still staring at the rose. Amy was
right. It was perfect. Just perfect. He stood and walked over to the window to
peer outside while Serena, who had just seconds before been enjoying the
family's reaction to her gift from outside that window, squeaked and ducked,
plastering herself against the house's brick wall in an attempt to keep hidden.
"I wonder who it's from..." he wondered out loud.
"A girl," his cousins and sister chorused together.
Their grandmother laughed. "Oh, Dare, just accept it for what it is. A gift. I'm
sure when the person is ready, you'll be left in no doubt as to who gave it to
you."
Darien wasn't convinced. "But how do we know it is for me? How do we know that
Luna didn't just pick it up from the street and put it down in front of me? How
do we know-" He was silenced by his grandmother's forefinger on his lips.
"Magic, my darling, magic," she told him in a voice he couldn't help but believe
yet he still opened his mouth to protest. "Now, now, Darien. No arguing with
your grandmother. Come, it's time to eat. Then time for bed for you young ones.
You don't want to wake up late tomorrow do you?"
Darien shook his head, sighed, and with one last look out the window followed
his grandmother to the dining room. He wondered if she got home safe, the little
girl he had met in the street, the one with the old blue eyes and angelic face
framed by curls of golden hair. He wondered if she was warm now, if she had
something to eat, if she had gifts waiting beneath a tree to be opened. He was
young, only eleven, yet the desire to take her home with him and put her into
one of his sister's pretty dresses had almost been too much. He shook his head
and grabbed his sketch book before sitting down at the dinner table and bent his
head over it, pencil moving busily.
Serena felt strangely at peace, warm, comforted as she stood to tiptoe away from
the window and out of the rising faces of the cheerful townhouses that welcomed
her to look but never ever to touch. She felt the corners of her lips lift up in
a satisfied smile as one hand wrapped around the cresent moon that had been
warmed by her skin. She would have a wonderful story to tell Papa tonight. She
glanced up at the sky and at the curtain of clouds that parted right then to
show her the glowing face of a perfect cresent moon. She stopped walking,
gripped the pendant tighter, and made a wish... She was going to be an angel,
the eight-year old thought She was going to make the best angel and she'll be
his angel just like he had been hers... tonight. With that thought she laughed
and ran all the way home.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"How is it going?" someone said behind her, making Venus jump about five feet
into the air.
"Must you do that?" she muttered when she was back on her cloud and patting her
hair back in place. She gave the Sun a reproachful look then sighed deeply at
the worry in his eyes. "Define 'It'," she said, raising an eyebrow. She knew
what he meant, she just wanted to give him a hard time that was all.
He squirmed. "Ya know... -It-," he said making funny gestures with his hands.
"That really narrows the field down," Venus said.
Just then the Moon passed them and gave Venus a hug and an impulsive kiss on the
cheek. "Oh, you're wonderful!" the Moon exclaimed, obviously glowing with
delight. She smiled then hurried away to tend to whatever business she had to
do.
The Sun furrowed his brows. "Yes, well... Yes. I take it everything is going
well?"
Venus just -looked- at him.
It was his turn to sorta kinda squirm. He didn't really squirm. Kings never
squirmed. He cleared his throat. "Ah. Okay. Keep it up!" He nodded and walked
away.
Venus just raised both her slender eyebrows and gave Cupid a wry smile. Her son
merely laughed. She turned back to her view of Earth and smiled her secret
smile. Oh yes, it was going very well.
***
Ten-year old Serena placed her basket of roses on the steps of a building and
sighed before dropping herself into a sitting position beside it. The day was
drawing to a close, the people that had flooded into the streets that morning
with their long lists of holiday shopping were slowly dissipating in much the
same manner they had appeared. Her feet ached, but it was a good kind of ache-
if such a thing existed. She had sold almost all of her flowers today. Most of
the people had been in a good mood. What with it being five days before
Christmas and all. She grinned in satisfaction and unconciously touched the
cresent moon that hung around her neck.
She still embraced the memory of that night to her like a large teddy bear. Had
father had listened intently to his little girl as she gushed out the story of
the little boy. She had given him the gold coin and he had looked at it with
something like tears in his eyes and then had tenderly kissed her temple. She
made him promise that he would use it to buy medicine and he had, obediently,
promised, but she was awakened by a sound that night and she found her Papa
tucking away the gold coin for safekeeping... for her. She had almost confronted
him right there and then to demand in all her eight-year old glory exactly what
he was doing, but she didn't. She only watched as he struggled to reach the
small opening they called a window to stare at the night time sky which had
cleared as if by magic just for him.
"Our little girl is going to be okay, Irene," he whispered, supporting his
meager weight with his frail arms by gripping the back of the only chair they
had in the room they called home. "She has a magic about her, my love, the same
magic you had about you that always made people, even strangers, care..."
Serena had withdrawn then and tried to keep herself from hearing the rest of his
words. She had felt as if she was invading in a private conversation almost as
if she had been eavesdropping on her parents as they talked. Her Papa talked
alone now, but she had no doubt that her Mama was listening. The kind of love
they had just didn't end with death. It went on. She wanted love like that.
Nothing less but a love like that.
The next Christmas Eve she had hung around the street where she had met Darien
the year before, waiting to see the unmistakable black carriage to pass by. She
didn't know how she knew which carriage was theirs after all the majority of the
things came in black, but she knew. She simply knew. So she had followed it
again, cradling the most perfect red rose she could find from the day's batch,
and again Luna had fetched the rose from her and had set it before Darien's
feet. Again his grandmother had placed it in that long-necked crystal vase and
placed it right beside the window where Serena would huddle outside and look in.
Just watching them made her feel as if she was part of the warmth that went on
in their home but she knew that she wouldn't give up her beloved Papa even it
meant experiencing the luxury they did. She just liked watching and dreaming
that someday she and her father could sit in front of a fireplace and have a
stacks of gifts underneath the tree to open the next day and then share a
Christmas feast together. She knew that the moon was more likely to scold the
sun than for that fantasy to come true, but what use was it to dream if one
didn't dream big?
"Are you still selling roses?" someone said beside her.
Serena turned her smile to the elderly gentleman who stood expectantly before
her, eyeing her basket hopefully. "My wife loves roses," he said as if telling
her a big secret.
She was touched by the warmth that practically glowed in the man's eyes and she
nodded mutely and stood up to hold the basket in her hands. "Yes, sir," she
said, friendlier than she usually was.
"Well then!" he exclaimed, obviously delighted. "Can you please give me three?"
She nodded and picked out the three most untouched and handed it to him then
accepted the coins he gave her. She wondered though why he would buy three and
it seemed that the question shone in her face for he chuckled and provided her
with the answer without any prompting.
"Three roses for the three words 'I love you'," he told her. "I never tire of
telling my wife that, and thank goodness she never tires of hearing it. Thank
you for the flowers." He smiled and hurried away to catch a coach, leaving a
thoughtful Serena in his wake.
She tied the shawl around her small shoulders and made sure her earning for the
day was tucked securely in her pocket where it would not spill out. She was so
deep in thought about what the elderly man had said that she almost missed the
black carriage that sped by her, scattering a feeling of worry, fear, and
foreboding in the air. She stopped dead in her tracks and turned wide eyes at
the fast disappearing black dot way down the road. Maybe she had imagined it.
Maybe... She cast a look around, studying the faces of the other passey-bys on
the street who seemed completely unaffected by the carriage's passing. She was
really losing it, the ten-year old thought and shook her head. But what if she
wasn't? She frowned and shifted her weight uneasily from one foot to the other.
She supposed it couldn't hurt to check. After all the sunset still colored the
winter sky and the streetlamps were already being lit by faithful men. She
pivoted around and took off running in the direction of the townhouse.
She came to a screeching halt not too far away, eyeing the carriage warily. She
snuck around it and ducked into her usual observation spot. The sight that
greeted her inside the house wasn't very encouraging. The members of Darien's
family who sat around the fireplace looked dejected, their shoulders stooping,
their usually smile-wreathed faces creased with frowns. Even the fire looked as
if it was only making a half-hearted attempt to warm them. She wished she could
just knock on the door, walk in, and ask Darien what was happening. She felt
sure he would tell her. Wait... Where was Darien? She almost began to panic when
a very important- looking man carrying a black leather bag came down the stairs
conversing with Darien's father. Serena actually got enough of a hold on herself
to strain her ears in an attempt to listen.
"He is very ill," the strange man said, a sad frown tugging his bushy brows
together. "His fever is very high and the bump he took on his head isn't helping
matters much. All we can do now is make sure he drinks lots of liquid and keep
wiping him down. Give him a dose of the medicine I gave you every six hours. It
is very important that he doesn't miss even one dose, understand?"
The whole family nodded. Even Mina looked close to tears. Raye's lips were set
in a thin line, her mother was wringing a lace handkerchief to pieces, and the
grandparents looked ready to start banging things around. Only Darien's father
looked calm. Amy's family would not come until tomorrow and Lita's would not be
arriving until Christmas Eve.
The doctor sighed and glanced at his watch. "I'll be back tomorrow," he said and
was ushered out the door. Once outside he hung his head and shook it, regret
painting every gesture he made and every word he whispered. "He's so young.
Darien's much too young to die. Ah, but death never did care about age." With
one long sigh, the doctor climbed into the carriage that usually brought
Darien's family to the townhouses and was driven to his next house call.
Serena surged to her feet, her face masked in an angry frown. How dare he say
such a thing! Darien wasn't going to die. She won't let him! Angels just didn't
allow their charges to die on them. They fought and fought to keep them alive
especially when they were so young like Darien was. She'd show him, Serena
thought as she glared at the disappearing carriage which carried the doctor.
She'd show him he didn't know everything. She glanced back into the house and
met Luna's quizzical eyes. She and the cat had formed a friendship in the little
time they had been in contact with each other. She supposed that if she wanted
to keep that friendship, she should stop scowling so fiercely at the cat, but
she couldn't stop herself so she scowled and shook her head. Luna, strangely
enough, seemed to be comforted by what was obviously the little girl's refusal
to believe Darien was going to die. She knew otherwise. Indeed she curled up
beside Artemis and hid a feline smile. Darien was going to live if the little
angel had anything to say about it and, as she watched Serena disappear from the
window, she knew the little girl would be more likely to rant.
Serena came back later that night after eating her supper with her Papa and
waiting until he was in bed before telling him she had an errand to run and that
she would be back soon. She had been out of their home so fast she doubted if
the words had even registered in his brain yet when she disappeared. She
honestly didn't know what she could do to help the very ill little boy she knew
was wrapped up in the left-most room on the second floor of the townhouses, but
she knew she had to try. Maybe she could just keep him company, though she
really didn't think he'd realize she was even there. She sighed and craned her
neck to try and see a way to get into his bedroom. The logical part of her brain
told her quite firmly that she could be hanged if they found her trying to break
into a rich family's home no matter how good her intentions were, but her heart,
her soul that was older than her mind and much wiser than her heart, told her
she had to go up there. Her soul told her she could help, it didn't matter if
all she could was sit there with him for a few minutes. She glance up at the
sky, at the moon who seemed to all at once urge her on and hold her back. She
carefully took the only thing she had brought with her and clamped it down
between her small teeth and carefully made her way up the tree that grew right
beside Darien's window.
The branches were bare, slippery with snow, and the wind blew cold against her
skin but she kept on climbing until she could look into Darien's room. She had
never seen his room. It was a little boy's room actually, halfway between that
of a child and a teenager's for Darien was thirteen years old. To Serena that
seemed ancient. Actually, she could make out very little of what was inside the
room for only the dim illumination of the fire and a lone candle fought a
valiant battle against the dark. The little girl frowned. She really doubted it
did the sick very good to be swatched in constant darkness. Sure it was evening
but she herself would have prefered to have come awake in a nicely illuminated
room had she been the one sick and, knowing the erratic sleeping patterns of
someone ill, she knew he could open his eyes even now. He would be disorinted,
she supposed, by all that light, but still... She wouldn't put up bright lights
around him, just soft lamps that would chase the shadows away from the corners
of the room that was all. At least, she finally realized, someone had parted the
heavy drapes of his window to allow the silver light of the moon access into his
room as well the watchful eyes of a certain ten-year old minx.
She remained where she was, just watching through the window as he turned and
tossed about, restless in his sleep. She held the rose she had brought him close
to her, protecting it from the plaful winter wind that sought to ruffle its
scarlet petals and perhaps pluck some off. She began to hum the tune of that old
lullaby her mother had sang when she was a little girl. She didn't remember any
of the words, but she did remeber the melody and she hummed it now to the boy
who lay ill and dying through the window. He stilled his thrashing about and
seemed to relax into a healing sleep. She smiled, willing to believe with the
moon shining down on her back that the lullaby had helped even though reason
told her he couldn't have possibly heard her humming.
She saw a shadow dart into the room and soon found herself face to face with
Luna. Serena almost fell off the tree in shock. The cat gave her a stern look,
turned pointedly at the rose, then inclined its head towards the pathway that
led away from the house. This was the first the black cat had ever, in any way,
indicated that she wanted Serena to leave and the little girl was hurt, but
wait... What was that? Someone was going to come inside Darien's bedroom very
soon. Nodding, Serena placed the rose on the window and scurried down the tree
in record speed. She jumped to the snow-covered ground and threw one last look
at the house before hurrying back home.
Grandmere, as the children called their grandmother, walked into her grandson's
room to be presented with the sight of the boy sleeping as soundly as a baby and
Luna pressing her nose on the cold surface of the window. Curious, she walked to
Luna's side and peered outside as well. She blinked at the red rose that was
placed carefully on the outside windowsill, its velvet red petals gathering
flakes of snow. Grandmere eased Luna to the floor and opened the window just a
crack to catch the rose before it was blown away by the wind. She smiled
dreamily and placed it on her grandson's bedside table. It seemed that Darien
had a guardian angel.
Serena came by the next night, again with a rose in hand, and the melody of the
lullaby playing on her lips. Again she climbed up the tree and settled herself
on the same branch she had perched on the previous night as she watched over
him, humming the whole time. Again he was tossing in his sleep and again he
calmed and settled down as soon as she began to hum. Perhaps it was coincidence,
but it was a comforting coincidence for the little girl because it told her she
wasn't making the trips in vain. Luna came again that night and this time Serena
knew to leave the rose and make as hasty exit as possible.
Now, Grandmere believed in angels and she also believed in magic. She also knew
that kind people who did wonderful things like send his grandson roses on
Christmas and watch over him while he was ill deserved to be as secretive as
possible. Besides, Luna seemed to trust this person and she trusted the cat's
judgement of people's characters better than her own. It also seemed to her that
her grandson was sleeping better and therefore healing rapidly. She was quite
content to allow the angel to keep his or her identity a secret for as long as
he or she wanted. It was purely an accident,therefore, when she discovered
Serena.
The little girl had settled down on what she now thought of as her branch,
completely unaware that Grandmere was obscured from her view because the elderly
woman was putting Darien's newly washed clothes into his closet which stood
against the same wall the window was built into. Now the lady had first
dismissed Serena's humming for the wind passing through the leaves as it usually
did until she realized that there was a definite melody in the tune and that it
appeared to be soothing Darien from his fitfil sleep into deep slumber. She
resisted the urge to run to the window and look outside and just kept on
systematically putting her grandson's clothing away. Perhaps the hummer would be
gone when she was finished, then she wouldn't have to shatter the veil of
mystery the person had kept around his or her identity for only two short years.
The one humming was still there when she finished and shut the closet doors. A
girl, Grandmere thought, it must be a girl. With that thought she allowed
herself to be pulled towards the window until she stood beside it, as close to
the wall as she could possibly get then finally resigning herself to what seemed
to be Fate's decision for the two of them to meet, Grandmere eased herself into
view.
Serena was barely able to swallow the scream. She stared in horror at the woman
who simply looked back at her through the glass. She whimpered, pinned to the
branch by that look. It was the grandmother. The grandmother had discovered her.
They would surely call the police now and then they would drag her to those
horrible places she had heard her neighbors call prison. She couldn't help it.
Serena began to cry.
Grandmere stared at the girl who sat precariously on a branch of the tree
outside her grandson's window with her heart in her mouth. What if she fell? She
could see the shock then terror grow in the clear blue eyes and then the tears
pool before slipping down smooth cheeks. She was beautiful, was Darien's angel,
and very much human. Never mind the ethereal glow the moon cast around her or
the fragile air that just hung on every inch of her. The angel was human, just a
little girl with dirt- streaked cheeks and tattered clothes, but in the
grandmother's eyes she was the most regally clad angel and in her hands she held
the most precious of gifts. The rose.
"Hello, little one," Serena heard the grandmother whisper. She hiccuped and
peered at the lady through solidifying tears as if expecting to be swiped at and
knocked off the tree. "Would you like to come in?"
The little girl figured the lady might as well have pushed her off the branch.
She blinked, for the second time bewildered by a member of Darien's family. She
looked back, uncertain. "May I?" she asked meekly, softly, afraid that she had
only imagined the invitation.
For an answer Grandmere opened the window and reached out to lift the extremely
light little girl into her arms, out of the cold, and into her home. She placed
her precious burden on the floor and quickly shut the cold wind out again. They
stood there, child and grandmother, staring at each other in silence. It was
Serena who broke the gaze. She turned her attention to the bedside table where
the two roses she had left were sitting in a vase. She padded silently to it and
placed the third rose between the two, then she stepped back to admire her work
with a gentle little smile.
"Would you watch him for me?" Grandmere asked, not trusting herself to speak
above a whisper. What if she spoke loud enough and the girl vanished?
Serena nodded a ferverent yes in response and moved closer to the bed.
"Why do you stand, little one?" the lady asked, puzzled.
"Because I'm afraid I'll get the pretty things dirty," she responded simply.
The grandmother bit her lip and tenderly lifted Serena into her arms and hugged
her quietly before setting her on the bed. "I'll be back, angel," she told the
girl. "Okay?"
Serena nodded mutely and waited until the lady was out of the room before
turning her attention back to the purpose of her visit. Darien. She scooted off
the bed and returned to where she was standing.
"You'll be okay, Dare," she told him in a fierce whisper. "You're getting better
already, aren't you? You'll be as good as new come Christmas morning," she
promised. "Know how? Because I wished it," she nodded unaware that Grandmere had
come back and was now standing just outdise the door. "I wished it Dare and it
has to come true because you told me it was magic." She held it up and the
silver cresent moon caught what little light there was in the room and seemed to
shine. "So don't worry. Everything will be back to normal." She nodded finally
satisfied with her speech. "Goodnight, Darien."
She tiptoed her way back to the window and opened it, squeezing herself out and
managing to transfer herself onto the branch. She scurried down in her usual
fashion and was almost out of sight when Grandmere got to the window to close
it. She watched the figure disappear into the night, the warm set of clothing
she had fetched still clutched in her arms. She whispered two words, "Thank
you."
She came again the on Christmas Eve and this time the lady was waiting there for
her. She didn't ask Serena for her name but without hesitation opened the window
and lifted the girl inside. She ushered Serena into Darien's bathroom and bathed
her without a word before drying her off.
"Now you can stay beside him," the woman told the child, "without worrying about
the sheets."
Serena merely stared.
"Don't you think she should wear white, Grandmere?" they heard someone say
behind them. Their heads swiveled around in unison to find Raye standing at the
doorway, her arms full of one of her white silk dresses. "Angels always wear
white," the raven-haired child said wisely.
The angel looked ready to bolt and she would have if Grandmere had not held on
to her.
Raye's smile left her face and was replaced by a solemn look of promise. "I
won't tell them," she told Serena. "I won't tell him. It will be a secret. Just
between the three of us. I can keep a secret, can't I Grandmere?"
Her grandmother smiled gently then nodded, reassuring Serena with a hug. "Yes,
she can... Come here, Raye. Help her dress."
Raye was only too happy to comply and soon, despite Serena's initial shyness and
wariness, they were whispering happily to each other, forging a fast and strong
friendship. It was a beautiful white dress with frills and lace and bows, but
Serena hardly noticed, all she cared about was that now she was clean enough to
sit on Darien's bed without making it dirty. And sit on it she did. She hummed
the lullaby to him as she twirled the rose of the night between her hands. Raye
stayed beside her, chattering in hushed tones as to not wake everybody else. The
one person who was not supposed to awake, however, did.
Darien blinked open his eyes and whispered rather hoarsely, "Water.."
Serena froze. Oh God, oh God, oh God, oh God, oh God, oh- Her silent chant was
cut off when she felt someone pressing a glass of water into her hand. Her
fingers curled around it and she placed the rose on top of the sheet and crawled
hesitantly to Darien's side. She looked down at him, at his face that was now
much thinner than she rememberd, at his eyes still hazy from sleep and the
illness he was recovering from. And he was recovering, a fact that had surprised
and delighted the doctor who had given him up for dead. Serena lifted his head
up gently, in much the same way she used to do to her father when he had been to
ill to even move, and assisted him in drinking the water.
When he finished drinking, Darien turned his unfocused gaze to her face. All he
could make out were a pair of wide blue eyes, a cloud of golden hair, and the
frothy whiteness of a dress. "Who... are you?" he croaked.
Serena said nothing and instead began to hum. She reached for the rose and held
it in front of him. He reached out, weakly, and took it from her. Red. It was
red. A rose. He frowned, not quite able to fully comprehend. He turned back to
her.
"Merry Christmas, Darien," Serena whispered, sniffling. She was crying. She'd
wanted to say those words to him since the first time she met him. She smiled
through her tears and kissed his still warm cheek.
He stared back at her and touched her hair. "Angel," he said softly.
Serena just shook her head and reluctantly pulled away. She turned to Raye and
Grandmere with a wet smile. "I should go now... Papa must be worried," she told
them then clutched a fistful of the dress of she was wearing. "May I have my
clothes back?"
Grandmere swallowed back tears. It had never occured to her that the little girl
would have a family to go back to, loved ones that would worry. It had never
once occured to her that they just couldn't simply keep her and ask her to stay.
"You can keep the dress," Raye said quietly and when Serena began to protest the
other girl said, "Please?"
The fair one stared at Raye then reluctantly nodded. "It'll get ruined when I
climb down the tree though," she warned.
"You're not climbing down any tree," Grandmere said as she dropped a coat around
Serena's shoulders and fastened shoes on the girl's feet. "Come one, sweeting,
you're taking the door."
So together, the three of them snuck through the hallway, down the stairs,
through the kitchen, and out the back door. Serena broke away from them as soon
as the door opened, running out of their sight with amazing speed.
"Are you sure she's real, Grandmere?" Raye asked.
"Very sure, my darling. Very sure. Now off to bed with you. We have a long day
ahead of us tomorrow."
Raye nodded and obediently went to her room. On her way she passed her brother's
room with its door still ajar. She peeked in. "Dare?" she whispered.
No answer.
She went inside and climbed on her brother's bed. "Darien?"
He turned away from the rose in his hands and stared at her. "One day I'm going
to find her, Raye," he told his sister.
And Raye, looking at her brother's pale face and into his glittering blue eyes,
believed him.
Not too far away, a father embraced his daughter and wept.
"There are angels on this earth", he thought as he looked at her all wrapped up
in clothes they would normally never be able to afford but he had nevertheless
longed to give her.
~There are angels on this earth.~
_______________________________________________________________________
:More Author's notes:
Is it just me or does anybody else think I am way off my rocker? ^ ^*;; Please
give me feedback. Good or bad. I hope it's good. *wrings hands* Actually, there
are three parts to this story. The other two are in my head. I was going to
write it all out tonight but my brain died on me. I need to get a new one.
Besides, I suppose this story can stand on its own... Suppose being the key
word. So e-mail me please? Please? Please? Please? *wonders if she has to beg*
PLEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSEEEEEE??? *begs* Please tell me if its worth
writing out the other two parts. Otherwise I'll go putter around with another
idea until it decides I'm good enough for it to actually take form. You know
something? These things are very addictive. The author's notes I mean. I could
write pages and pages of just this stuff... On second thought... I don't think
that would be appreciated though. ^ ^*;; Okay, enough with the babbling. Hope
you enjoyed what little there is of the story. The childhood part actually got
longer than I intended. *urks* @_@ Oi. I'll never shut up so... Ummm... E-mail
is very good!
Always,
Dina