ACT ONE
THE SIXTY SIX SEALS
❝ A mess of beautiful contradictions makes her whole, she wears fire for skin and a storm lives in her soul ❞
PLAYLIST
I. Yellow Flicker Beat Lorde | II. Arsonist's Lullaby Hozier | III. Team Lorde | IV. From Eden Hozier | V. Miracle The Score | VI. Heathens Twenty One Pilots | VII. The Phoenix Fall Out Boy | VIII. Let It Rock Kevin Rudolf | IX. The Good, the Bad, and the Dirty Panic! at the Disco | X. Bad Moon Rising Creedence Clearwater Revival
ONE
DIVINE INTERVENTION
THE redhead landed squarely in the center of Ella's living room, scaring the young girl and causing her to drop her book with a smack! to the hardwood floor. Ella looked up at her with wide brown eyes, dark like coffee beans, staring at her and wondering if she was seeing things right.
"Who the hell—" Ella jumped up from the couch.
She was pale, but not sickly, her skin like a creamy ivory. She had dark hazel eyes, which turned almost gold when the sun hit her face right. The woman was short, about the same height as Ella. She was wearing a red blouse and dark blue skinny jeans, with black converse. She looked young too, probably not much older than Ella, maybe in her mid-twenties.
"My name is Seraphina." said the redhead, her voice eerily calm.
Seraphina? Ella wondered, Mom told me stories about an angel named Seraphina.
"Exactly." said the angel, her red lips turning upwards, smiling slightly.
Ella's eyebrows rose, confused, glancing at her again, taking in her full image. "A-are you an angel?"
Seraphina hummed, "You stopped praying to me a few years ago, shame too. I never get many of those." She shrugged. "Something about having a female archangel or whatever ticks many people off. They tend to not believe I exist, therefore, no prayers."
Ella's mouth popped open, "How do you know I prayed?"
"Because I hear the prayers in my head. It all went silent so I kept an eye on you. I couldn't avoid you anymore. You're in danger."
"I stopped praying because my mother died." Ella scoffed, "Some guardian angel you are."
"There are somethings you will just not understand. Your mother was never officially under my watch. I cared for her, yes, and she was a friend. But my sole guardianship lies with you." Seraphina's fiery golden eyes watched the younger girl carefully.
Ella frowned, rubbing her temple, "You don't exist. I'm dreaming."
Seraphina sighed, "You are in danger. I have no time to argue with you."
Seraphina quickly snapped her fingers and in a flash they were in a kitchen, a thousand miles away. Ella wanted to scream, because suddenly she felt very dizzy and she was wildly confused.
"Hello, Marlene," Seraphina greeted calmly to the other woman in the kitchen.
Marlene jumped slightly from behind the stove but when she turned to see Seraphina, she immediately calmed. She had long brown hair, that came down in soft curls until they finished at her chest. She was naturally stunning. Marlene had a few hunting scars, one most obvious on her upper lip, where a demon had punched her in the face. She smiled at her, "Sera, who's this?"
Seraphina smiled back in greeting, "This is Estella Zhang."
Marlene's eyes widened in recognition, "The Estella Zhang?"
"How the hell do you both know me?" Ella cried, surprised at the use of her full name, something only her mother had done. Her black hair fell into her face as she looked between both women.
"It's a long story," Seraphina told her dismissively, "I'll tell you when you're ready."
"No," Ella defied the archangel, her voice hard, "Tell me now or I'm calling the police."
Seraphina's eyes flickered with power, eyes going more gold like they were flickering with flames, and Marlene took a small step back. She knew that look. Seraphina was literally known for being "made with fire", and Marlene knew that's exactly the kind of spirit she had: fierce and fiery.
"You are in no place to demand anything from me," Seraphina's voice went monotoned, hard like stone. Suddenly she looked frightening; suddenly she looked like the archangel she was. The room darkened, the lights from the overhead lamp quickly going dim. "I am trying to protect you and you will be safe here."
For now, she added to herself as an afterthought.
"I'm so confused," Ella said, her voice softer, no trace of demand, tone lost in defeat.
"That's expected." Seraphina affirmed, the lights brightening again. "Your mother's death was no mere accident. It was determined the day she was born. Please know she did everything in her power to protect you. I intend on carrying that out and here is where you will be safe. Here is where you will learn. You have to learn to protect yourself. Marlene is going to help you when I cannot."
Ella swallowed, nodding slowly. "This is real." She added under her breath.
"Now that that's settled, you want something to eat?" Marlene gestured back to the stove, where her paella was cooking.
"I think I need to put some cold water on my face," Ella sounded far away, lost in her head.
"Second door on the right." Marlene pointed to the hallway and Ella nodded, making her way towards it.
"Rahul was drawing closer," Seraphina explained, her voice dropping into a whisper so Ella wouldn't hear. "I know you're retired from hunting, but train her. There's a war brewing and I need her ready for it. I'll pop in and out to help, but she will remain here."
Marlene nodded, worried slightly at the word war, "You know I'd do anything for you, Sera," she told the archangel honestly. "Especially after everything you've done."
Seraphina smiled slightly, "I do carry a phone now, in case you need to reach me. Or you can pray, I can assure I'll hear you."
She had put tabs on certain people that were more important to her, people like Marlene and Ella, and Ella's mother. This enabled their prayers to be heard first to ensure that Seraphina would always reach them in times of emergency. Occasionally, she got a random prayer from a random human, who must have discovered — somehow — that she existed. However, they were few and far between.
Marlene hummed, "I assume you don't want to stay for dinner?"
Seraphina smiled kindly, "No, but thank you. I just need a final word with her and I have to go."
Marlene nodded, "Do you want me to get her fake ID's?"
"Yes, give her a new name too. Maybe Isabella, so she can still have her nickname. Let her get enrolled into college if she wants, or get a job. Just make sure she understands what she can and cannot say. Don't confine her too much. Train her when you can, teach her the lore."
Marlene bobbed her head, "All right."
Ella came from the bathroom, part of her collared shirt wet from water. She looked exhausted, and Seraphina had to admit she was ashamed she had pushed so much onto the girl all at once. She was only twenty, after all. Young minds could only take so much at once.
"What about my clothes? All my stuff?"
"Let me take care of that. You just eat and get some sleep. I'll make sure you have your stuff before morning."
Ella nodded her head, looking at Marlene who smiled at her. Thinking it as good a time as any, Seraphina teleported out, the sound of her wings being heard as she exited.
"...is that normal? Just disappearing like that?"
Marlene chuckled, "For her? Yes."
Seraphina wrote a letter, masquerading as Ella, telling her friends and anyone who happened to be curious as to why she disappeared that she was moving. She didn't give specifics, she simply said she needed time away. Eventually, Seraphina was going to have to fake Ella's death, it was the only way to keep her safest. Especially from Rahul and his demons.
She packed Ella's things, making sure to grab sentimental things and anything else she might need. It did not take long for a flap of wings for her to notice Tobias had arrived.
"Perfect timing," she said, greeting the other angel.
Tobias raised an eyebrow, a curious look crossing his features. "I thought you said you were not going to interfere."
"I had to," stated the higher ranking angel. "She's no good to us dead."
Plus, I promised her mother I would keep her safe, Seraphina thought to herself.
Tobias pursed his lips before nodding in agreement.
"Keep an eye over her while I am absent. No interference, if she gets into trouble, I will step in." Seraphina told him, grabbing the large suitcase. "Until she's ready, of course."
"And just a week ago, you were against divine intervention."
Seraphina shrugged before disappearing.
Ella was thankful for her clothes and Marlene had her settle into her guest room, which she now had permission to make her own.
"Long lost relative," Seraphina told Marlene, who had inquired that her neighbors would get suspicious. "Daughter of a step-uncle and you're all she has or something. Sob stories, they work."
Marlene nodded, "I think I can swing that."
"Good," Seraphina told her before disappearing with a flap of her wings.