Chapter 2 – Eyes on me.
Place: The Lighthouse orphanage
Time: Around a year after the First Sorceress' War.
"Baaaaaawl... Mawtyn~~~~~~ Seifurrr's beat me agaaaaain~~~~~!"
"Arrrr… shuddup Crybaby Zell! Mawtyn's not here today. Neninenibooboo!!!"
An extremely annoying Seifer was taunting my Master relentlessly. A prominent fury vein was pumping so hard in my temple that it was most certainly on the verge of bursting and giving me a brain haemorrhage. I could hardly stop myself from rushing at him and beating the hell out of him. Nothing could have stopped me… except... of course for the threat of severe punishment and the strong, vice-like grip of Seifer's Angel on my shoulder.
"Get your hands off me! He can't bully my Master and get away with it! YOU! What are you doing, loafing off on your job? Aren't you supposed to lead him in the right path? He's going to turn into a violent bully when he grows up!" I glared at Seifer's Angel (SA for short, too long to type in full.)
SA raised an eyebrow at my "comment".
"I would watch your temper if I were you. Wouldn't want to get punished for breaking the rules."
"Breaking what rule?" I shouted in indignation.
"For example… An Angel will not interfere in another Angel's job. An Angel will not attempt to harm any human, Master or not. Need I go on? How about An Angel will not fall for..."
"Alright, alright! I get the idea! Just get your hands off of me!" I cut him off anxiously before he could continue. God knows what would happen if the Great Lord heard his words! Especially that last rule……
SA looked at me with much distrust.
"What's to say that you wouldn't rush up and try to murder him if I let go of your arm?"
I looked at him for a while, amazed that I had not succeeded in fooling him. Usually, he was as gullible as they come but what the hey???
"Alright, I promise… no, I swear it upon my life that I will not resort to violence, is that good enough for you?" At least, not for a few minutes while you're still watching me like a hound dog watches the door.
SA had a sceptical expression on his face, but finally relented when he realised that Seifer had gone off to another place, and he had to follow his tiresome Master around, you know. Oh… that was my opinion again.
I don't get it! What does he see in such a Master? And he's a guy for crying out loud. Strange one, that SA!
And so most of the days revolved around me trying to rush up and beat up Seifer when he bullied my Master, and SA trying to fend off my attacks. I really wondered why he believed me time and time again when I "swore" that I wouldn't try to murder Seifer. Heh. Maybe he was dumb… or he just knew that I didn't have the guts to do it.
It would have gone on as thus uneventfully if I had not been so careless. I cursed myself vehemently and yet again... The self-blame wasn't too harsh…
How careless was I, you might have asked. (Please do!) One of the major cock-ups in the history of Angels, let me tell you.
I had been carefully brushing my feathers so as to let my wings maintain its lustrous sheen. I brush it a few thousand times per day, and it was during this period that I let my guard down the most. So down it was, that anyone sensitive enough would have seen me. You know how kids are… they're more alert to this kind of stuff than adults, for they're purer at heart.
There I was, hiding in a secluded corner, thinking that it was safe. Zell and the other kids had gone to play at the beach. I was thinking of a quick break. At times like these, I would either ask Seifer's Angel to help me keep an eye on my Master, or I would form a temporary shield over him as a meagre form of protection. Dear Lord… how very wrong I was to assume that way……
"Oh Feathery Wings
So Light to feel
Around thy Master
Form a shield
Keep evil spirits
Miles away
And I shall brush you tenderly
Day by day.
This was a song I would sing to myself (softly, of course) whenever engaged in such an act. It always made me calm down, as a sense of serenity would enshroud over me and chase away the fiery temper flares that I might have been harbouring.
"Whooo are yoo? Waat (not a typo okay?) arrr yoo doin' here?" A tiny but shrill voice that distinctively belongs to my Master rang out in the room.
I jumped and yelled at THAT highly unexpected sound.
"Uh… I… uh… I'm just a dream. You know, pictures you see when you sleep." I stammered, trying to find a way out.
What a stupid lie that was! I shake my head at you, ZA (Zell's Angel, duh!)!
"B ..… but Ah'm not sleepin'!" Zell cried out in his cute little kid's voice.
Argh ..… I just can't stand it when he talks in that way… I just want to hug him to death!
"Alright, maybe you aren't, but some people dream in the day too! It's called daydreaming. Okay? Zell Zell?"
" 'kay! Waat is your name?" Zell asked, still not very convinced. Whoever said Zell wasn't smart clearly didn't know him too well.
"Just call me A!" I said with a twinkle in my eye. "Bye!!!" I waved at him, and ran out of there as if fire was burning up my a**.
"Byeee A!!!!!" He waved frantically and jumped up and down excitedly. Maybe he was happy to make a new friend, or maybe he just has too much energy. Sigh.
A dilemma presented itself to me. Should I be happy that he had seen me at least once? Should I be sad that he would forget my very existence the moment some new thing caught his eye? Or maybe I should be worried that my Master has already sensed my presence?
Oh Lord… why did I have to grow up and think of such things now? Grow up? Yeah… I was at the ripe old age of twelve (heh) while Zell was only four. Angels grow at a different rate from humans, and it isn't always in a regular pattern. More likely it was based on the spiritual development of that particular Angel. So you could say that I grew up in an alarming speed when I was guarding over Zell. Till this day, I still have not the faintest clue why this was so.
"You're in deep trouble, Zell's Angel!" A stern voice broke the silence that had settled over the surroundings while I was buried in my thoughts, brow furrowed in concentration.
"Sigh… I know, Seifer's Angel. But I didn't know that he would come back so soon! I thought that I could just sneak in a break… I've been so busy recently, you have no idea how exhausting it gets!" I looked up at him with a pleading look.
"Don't look at me like that. There's nothing I can do to help you escape the penalty. This time, I can't cover your tracks any longer. For someone else has reported your deed to the Great Lord."
"I'm not asking you to help me cover my tracks! I'm just begging you to help me look after my Master. I know… there'll be a replacement while I carry out my punishment. But I don't trust anyone else… so please?" My eyes were practically shining with unshed tears, for the thought of leaving my Master for even a short while was too devastating for words.
"Alright… seeing that you had not revealed yourself intentionally, I will help you. And I have to take some responsibility for not warning you in time." SA turned his head away at the sight of my reddening eyes.
I knew I was being manipulative. He always had no resistance over crying girls. And he was a kind-hearted soul, which I had always known. I should give him more credit than judging him based on his Master.
You must be thinking how in Hyne's name did I get to become an Angel, with such obvious faults and immaturity, not to mention a really foul mouth? Hmm… to tell you the truth, I did a little bit of acting when the Great Lord interviewed me. Despite this, though, I always tried my best to protect my Masters, which is something I recall with pride. But as the years sneaked by, something seemed to have tainted my heart. Or I might have lost something precious along the way.
That is why I lo… uh ..… I care for my Master so much. His pureness had stopped me from continuing that slow, but sure destruction of my formerly virtuous self. Strange… Angels were supposed to show the way, not the other way round!
After breaking that important rule of revealing myself before a human, I was confined to a solitary cell in the Heavens for half a year, restricted from the mortal world during this period. Every single day, I had to write a journal on my wrongdoings and a promise to never break the rule again. It was pure torture… keeping me away from my Master.
How I miss him. Half a year… which may be mere six months for some. But it seemed like eternity to me……
Not good, ZA. You're sinking in deeper with every passing day. You had better do something about this.
A nagging, albeit small, voice could be heard at the back of my head. And what it said couldn't be nearer to what I had feared for the longest time……