Quarter past three in the morning, only a few dim street lamps illuminate the empty road. A small girl, appearing to be at most thirteen, leans against a moldy trash can, with only a soggy newspaper to cover herself up with. Her eyes were softly closed, her lips a deep blue. Her face had a sickening pale color to it, large dark bags under her eyes. Her hair was matted and brown with dirt, though it looked like it could have been more blonde. She had an empty expression upon her face, motionless, soundless, not even a dog would have acknowledged her presence.
A lone figure dashed by, in one hand a black leather suitcase, the other a large pistol, slightly tainted with specks of red. He merely ran past the girl, very unaware of the ingle leg that was stretched out before him. He tripped with a heavy THUD and went out cold, the money in the suitcase now starting to spill and catch the wind. The little girl opened her eye to a tiny slit, examining the unconscious body before her. Indifferent, she then proceeded to stand up and walk over to the body, her eyes locked on the shine of the gun to his side. She leaned down and ran her finger along the warm metal, then grasped the gun firmly in her hand.
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An ambulance driver reached down for the chatting radio, picking it up and listening closely for the location of the suicide. He flicked on the siren and flashing lights started to flicker up and down the street. He pushed the gas peal to the floor and turned down several empty streets, causing a few curious spectators to walk over to their windows. When the ambulance turned onto Cherry Lane, a CSI crew had already started to take a few official pictures, and a bright yellow stream of tape closed off the area.
The ambulance driver and his assistant opened the doors quickly and ran to the back of the ambulance to retrieve the body bag and stretcher. When they brought it to the body and started to prepare the bag, the ambulance driver approached a CSI with curiosity. "What does it look like here? Suicide?" He questioned loudly.
"It looks pretty open and shut: the guy was running from a convenient store robbery, trips and falls causing the gun to shoot him right in the head." One CSI replied, indicating the stream of blood at the John Doe's head. The driver nodded and took the front of the body into his hands, hoisting him onto the body bag.
Several hours later, the crime scene was crowded with nosy spectators. A chalk outline of a large man, arms to his sides, and a dried pool of blood around it. Much news was spread about the accidental death, and was the official headline of the Saturday Morning news. A bustling café tuned into the Saturday Morning Show, listening to the news of the nearby death.
"...and an unidentified man died last night after robbing a nearby convenience store and falling to the ground, accidentally discharging his firearm.." droned the perky news reporter. In the background people were waving at the sight of a live broadcast. Sipping her coffee at the café and rolling her eyes, Rose walked over and turned the TV off.
A few people narrowed their eyes angrily at her, but none raised their voices. Though she acted like a bitch most times, people knew better than to start up with the police chief of the Bronx. She sat back down into her chair and quickly consumed the rest of her coffee. She grinned maliciously and left a dollar on the table for a tip, fairly more generous than usual. She then grabbed a handful of her thick, curly, red hair and tied it back like she always had.
'Time to get things accomplished again.' Her mind ordered. She picked up her heavy dark coat and handbag, and then casually walked out of the café. She stepped out the door, into the noisy, crowded streets once more. Today would be a good day. Only one death last night, one robbery, nothing too overwhelming so far. She removed her sunglasses, tucked away in the v of her tee shirt, and put them on quickly. Despite the chill in the air, the sun still shone down quite blindingly. She started to walk down the street towards the police station when something caught her eye: a small child, no more than 13, was curled in a small ball beside a trashcan, slowly rocking back and forth. She approached the girl and kneeled down in front of her, catching a stare from her tired, brown eyes.
"You can see me?" questioned the small girl, her eyes widening with shock. Rose raised an eyebrow and nodded in return. The girl stretched her hand out to Rose and touched her cheek softly; her fingers almost ice cold and completely covered with dirt and garbage. Rose closed her eyes for a moment, the soft, cold touch of the girl seeming to overpower her for a moment. She then re-opened her eyes to discover the girl had disappeared.
She stood up quickly and looked up and down the busy streets for her, yet saw no sign of her at all. She placed her hand on her forehead, mumbling something about needing more sleep, and continued to walk down the street to the police headquarters. Her mind flowed with questions the entire walk there, and she became engulfed by them completely when she walked through the doors. Everyone sent a slight nod of greeting when she passed by them, but she did not once look up from the floor.
She stepped inside her cluttered office and sat herself down in her desk chair, the morning files spread out before her. She remained dazed for several minutes, until a phone call broke the silence. She blinked a few times and then picked it up, forgetting even to say a "hello". A deep voice was heard through the phone.
"I need to see you again, I'm sorry for last night. She meant nothing to me." Her fiancé pleaded. She took in a deep breath and then sighed. "I can't lose you, Rose. You mean too much to me."
"You know what, fuck off. Actually, just keep fucking off." She answered crudely, slamming the phone down. Just after she hung up, the phone rang yet again. This time she picked it up quickly and screamed. "Stop fucking calling me!" However, the voice on the line was not her fiancé this time, instead it was a child's voice.
"You saw me." Stated the voice, calm and timid. Rose felt her face pale. The girl, the dirty girl sleeping on the side of the road. She had to find her and be sure she was sent to an agency.
"Where are you? Can I come see you again?" she requested, her tone now soft and concerned. She started to thumb through the missing persons photographs, seeing if any resembled the girl. None did.
"I'm right here." Replied the voice, she looked up and there before stood the girl, just as grimy as ever. She slowly put down the phone. "How can you see me? You aren't supposed to." The girl questioned, turning her head to the side slightly.
"Why...why wouldn't I be able to see you?" she replied, her stomach tense with a slight discomfort. The girl just looked down. Her eyes dark and mysterious, unlike what she had seen before. A small whimper of a cry was now heard from the girl. She stood up from her desk and walked over closer to the girl, extending her hand to touch her shoulder. Just as she was about to, however, the girl lifted her head. A strange new face looked up at her, causing her to leap backwards a few paces. The face of the little girl was distorted now; her eyes were almost twice as large, her nose now just two small slits. Her lips were slightly more pointed and the tips of her canines were now visible. Her skin was pale blue in color. The only thing that remained indifferent was her hair; still just as matted and dirty.
"Who...what are you?" she stammered, her forehead started to moisten with cold sweat. She little girl blinked her large eyes once, then raised her hand, causing the blinds to shut tightly and the lights to dim. Rose's heart was pounding now.
"I am an...angel, as you humans call it." She answered bluntly, Rose didn't respond. "I know I'm not anything you'd expect me from. No, I don't have large bird wings and a white glow. No, I don't have to do any good on this earth if I so choose to, and no." She stated, answering the questions as they flowed into Rose's head. Rose was indeed a Christian Catholic, as she had been raised as all of her life. To see this "angel" disrupted her immediately.
She reached in her desk and pulled out her religious beads, kissing the cross and holding them before her. "Go back, creature from hell! Leave me and do no harm!" She called out, her voice half choked over from panic. The angel shook her head, giving a quick swish of her hand to throw the beads against the wall. Rose looked at the scattered beads with horror.
"Just put aside your beliefs for one moment and listen to me, alright?" The angel requested, Rose didn't reply. "No one has EVER seen me before. I am supposed to be invisible to all living creatures...from insects to birds, cats to dogs, whales to humans." She narrowed her eyes at Rose, hoping this issue was now obvious to her.
"So you are saying I'm not human, is that it?" Rose replied in a sarcastic tone. "Oh, what a lovely observation there. Now if you are done here, please leave."
The angel crossed her arms, a dark and piercing red glow emitting from her eyes. "I don't think I will be leaving just yet, and there is nothing you can do about it. Give me a minute to see something and then fine...I will leave you." Rose paused, realizing she really had no choice on the matter. She nodded in answer. "Give me your hand." She ordered, Rose looked taken back at the idea. "Just do it now.." Rose felt an abnormal tug and her hand was pulled foreword, palm up. The angel raised a finger and cut her hand a bit, but Rose didn't scream. She bit her lip, trying to take her hand away as hard as she could. No luck.
She then watched as the angel cut her own hand open and touched her blood with Rose's. A bright light started to emit from the wound and Rose felt light headed. She sat down, sweat forming on her forehead. The angel pried her hand quickly away from Rose's and stared at her with curiosity. "Just like I thought...a former angel. An angel in disguise, obviously. One whom has erased her memory I see..." She eyed Rose up and down, trying to fit her somehow in her memory.
"I really..I really have no idea what you are talking about...Just leave me alone already! I didn't do anything..I have no IDEA what you are talking about!" Rose cried out, taking several steps backwards. The angel was in thought for a moment, then she paused.
"Rómendacil..." She spoke quietly, staring at Rose with curious eyes. Rose cocked an eyebrow and suddenly felt a strange shiver at that name. Suddenly, then angel bowed foreword, reaching her hands out before her. "Rómendacil...my master. I finally found you."