Stifling a yawn, I shifted slightly, the wooden fence I had been leaning against for the last half hour making my back ache. I'd never been a morning person, and frankly, I disapproved of having this rendezvous in town, but it wasn't up to me, so I'd suppress the tired grouchiness that threatened my mood. Thankfully, I wasn't left waiting for much longer. Just barely visible through the mist was a soft flash, three silhouettes appearing in the hazy morning sky. I watched my siblings descend to earth, illuminated by the sun that threatened to peak over the horizon, the water from the clouds collecting in their hair and on their wings. It was almost dawn, but the streetlights were still on. Most sane people were asleep at this hour but a boy who was delivering newspapers saw them and feel off of his bike, the papers tumbling from his basket. A dog had barked at them as they touched down a few yards away from me, making the boy look up in surprise, no doubt having been previously lost in his own thoughts. Getting up clumsily and eyes wide, the boy ran off, leaving his bike behind. I sighed and wrapped my navy-blue sweater tighter around my body. It was late summer, but the chill of fall was beginning to set it.
Gabriel-yes, the archangel, and my brother, propped the bike up on the wooden fence, gathering the scattered papers and depositing them back in its basket. Even from here, I could see the flash of his steel grey eyes as he looked toward me, his expression slightly questioning at my choice of attire. I was wearing a purple butterfly tank top, the navy sweater to cover my wings, torn jeans, and brown booties. hidden in my wavy brown hair were silver dream catcher earrings. A black choker hung around my throat and my ash-violet eyes were accented by dark eye makeup. In short, not your typical choice of clothing for an angel and very far off from the loose travel garments they each wore. They looked out of place among the average houses that lined the neighborhood, even after retracing their wings, but that was of no fault of their own, rather that of the general otherness that we felt when among those not of our own kind.
He and my sisters, Ivy and Bethany, began to make their way over to me, their natural angelic light softly illuminating the mist around them. While we were not siblings by blood or birth, we were family through our faith and devotion to our Father. Ivy was a seraphim. She, Gabriel, and I were ancient. You think I'm kidding. We were around before man, created millions of years ago, but what does age matter in the grand scheme of things? Bethany was much younger, tasked with taking care of the souls of children in the Kingdom; a common job for angels her age but an important one none the less. I'd never met her before, but I had made sure to learn what I could about my new charge in preparation for her arrival. She was an infant compared to us three, still innocent to the ways of man. While I would never admit it to her nor any other, I couldn't help but feel a pang of envy at her light- a light I hadn't had in a very long time.
Noah's flood, Sodom and Gomorrah, the Passover, Pompeii, the black plague, countless wars and conflicts...I was there for it all. A lot of it was my work. I was the angel of death. It was my job. While I never said I was proud of it, it was mine and I did it to the best of my ability. After Adam and Eve were exiled from Eden-after they ate from the forbidden tree, they could die. It was decided that someone had to take care of the souls of those passed and while it hadn't been my original purpose on earth, the job fell to me. With every soul I reaped, my once silvery wings got darker and darker, over the years that have passed, becoming a deep black, my halo dimming more and more each century. I didn't reside in Heaven anymore with my kind. I spent most of my time here on earth where I was needed (besides, most souls don't exactly want to see me again). If it weren't for me, earth would be terribly crowded.
"Azrael." Gabriel nodded to me in acknowledgment, his expression stoic as only the ancient could truly be.
"Gabriel." I crossed my arms, mildly bored, my gaze flicking to my sisters, giving them each a quick once over. It would take a lot of work to get them looking the part of an average mortal family.
I'd been in sleepy, little, Venus Cove, Georgia for the past few weeks, learning what I could from the town and people in preparation for my siblings' arrival. Heaven had launched one of its save humanity initiatives. They were here to spread good will, peace, and faith. I wasn't quite Holy enough for that. While I shared my family's values and ideas, taking the lives of or Lord's favorite creation was against an angel's nature. Like I said, it had quickly taken its toll on me. I wasn't fallen, but I wasn't about to be singing with the Heavenly choir either. Mind you, there were other angels who helped me. Grim reapers. They were chosen when they were created to help me, so reaping was all they knew. I'd trained them all myself, so they were deadly efficient and always got the soul they were after. They report to me, but I report to Him. Anyway, I was mainly with them to look after Bethany since this was her first visit to earth. As someone who spent all of my time here, they thought I would do well to help her adjust and learn. After this, she would likely be assigned a new purpose like the others, and would need to understand the basic mechanics of mortal life. I didn't mind playing babysitter, but I still had a job to do.
"You must be Bethany." I said holding out my hand to the young angel, "I'm Azrael."
"It's nice to meet you..." She said timidly, letting her long chestnut hair fall in her face slightly as she bowed her head, her hazel eyes wary of my outreached hand.
I smiled knowingly, "Now none of that. I get enough fear from dying mortals. As I'm sure you're already aware, I'm here to act as your councilor so it's best if we start out on the right foot."
The corner of her lip upturned slightly, a tiny dimple forming in her cheek "Sorry." She relaxed and shook my hand, standing a bit straighter than she had been.
"I'm sure we'll all get along famously." Ivy beamed, folding her hands in front of her. For one who was so high ranked in the Kingdom, she seemed more optimistic, a far cry from our fellow ancients who typically took on more serious or stoic expressions.
Nodding in satisfaction, I turned from them and began walking down the street, "Come on, you three, unless you want to find your own way to headquarters."
They briskly followed me, not wanting to be left behind. While Gabriel and Ivy walked with grace, straight backed and sure, Bethany staggered slightly. I could remember my first visit to earth, when the Garden was still open to man…It had been quite the harrowing experience. Every visit after still had lingering discomfort for a few days but those who were used to it had experience hiding their unease, despite the constrictive nature of their human forms. I held back a moment, lacing my arm with hers to help steady her as we left the neighborhood onto one of the streets that led toward our new home.