When she got back to the motel, Mica unlocked the door to the room and opened it and turned on the light, but remained standing in the doorway, staring in shock at the intruder waiting for her inside.
Perched on top of the back of a chair like a bird was a young-looking woman with purple highlights in her dirty blonde hair. She looked about the same age as Mica, but in actuality, she was much more older than she seemed.
"'And God said, Let there be light: and there was light'" The young woman read from the Bible in her hands. Shaking her head at the text, she mumbled, "God, I hate this book". She looked over at Mica and told her, "Did you know the monkeys actually removed parts of the Bible because they didn't like it? I'm surprised they kept the Book of Revelation in, considering the outcome."
"What are you doing here?" Mica asked her, stepping inside and away from the door, which she left open on purpose.
"I just wanted to check up on my little sister and see how she's doing. Lucy told me you were up and about."
"Lucy?"
"The Prince Downstairs, of course." The young woman jumped down off the chair, dropping the Bible on the floor and landing gracefully on her feet. She was wearing a red shirt, dark pants and a long black overcoat.
The young woman approached Mica, and for a moment, both of them regarded one another, looking over each other's appearances. Golden brown eyes stared deeply into a pair of crystal blue orbs, cold and uncaring.
"Nice hair", said the young woman.
"I wish I could say the same thing about yours", Mica remarked.
"So, how come you left home? Did Daddy throw you out of the house, too?"
"I left by my own accord. I came here to help Gabriel see the error of his ways and learn to respect humans, so that he may gain back his rightful place and stand by God's left side again."
"Don't fool yourself, Mica", said the young woman. "We both know you're doing this more for you than for him. After everything he's done, why the hell would you want to help him now?"
"Probably the same reason you decided to live downstairs with Lucifer", said Mica. "You should have known better than to take his side against God's."
The young woman chuckled. "Why not? I wanted the same thing he did."
"You chose poorly, sister. Once you sided with Lucifer, I lost all respect for you."
"Is that supposed to hurt my feelings?"
"You have no feelings, Zuliel", said Mica, coldly.
The angel girl's harsh words had no effect on Zuliel, who laughed it off and told her, "You're just wasting your time trying to help him, Mica. You should have just stayed locked away in the attic where you belong."
"That's no longer an option for me. Before I came here, Michael warned me I would not be able to return home until after this war is over. I may not know how this world works, but with God's help, I know I will get by."
"So, you're on your own and have no home to go to. I don't see how you can possibly survive alone in this world, but if you need a place to stay, there's always plenty of room downstairs in the basement."
Normally, Mica never showed contempt for anyone or anything, but Zuliel was making her angrier and angrier by the minute. Her beautiful brown eyes grew dark, malice filled her angelic face.
Stepping forward, Mica looked the former angel in her eyes and said in a serious tone of voice, "I would rather have my heart cut out."
Zuliel frowned in disappointment and said, "Fine. If that's the way you want it, than welcome to the real world, bitch." With that being said, Zuliel stepped out of the room and into the night, vanishing into a flock of crows.
Mica slammed the door shut and locked it immediately, turning her back to the door and leaning against it, closing her eyes and sighing deeply. She stood there for a good long minute, then opened her eyes and drew her attention over to the Bible left on the floor. She walked across the room to retrieve it off the floor, and opened a page and sat down on the bed, flipping through the pages to see if any text had been tampered with or torn out by Zuliel. Nothing was ruined or missing, though Mica realized the former angel hadn't lied when she said the humans had erased certain chapters and verses from the Good Book.
Mica didn't sleep that night, not that she needed to, but the fact that she had been visited by Zuliel left her feeling uneasy. Before the First War in Heaven, Zuliel used to be an innocent angel, until Lucifer corrupted her heart and asked for her help in trying to take over God's Kingdom. The two of them used to be friends, but now that her former sister had chosen to become one of Lucifer's followers, Mica wanted nothing more to do with Zuliel.
By the time the sun rose over the city the next morning, Mica decided to leave the room and walked out with the key in her pocket. It was only seven o'clock, but she wanted to see what else was out there in the real world before going to see Gabriel. She stopped at a small café for a cup of coffee and ate a donut with sprinkles, staring out the window and watching the people walk by and the slow-moving traffic as people headed to work.
When she got to the hospital, Mica found Gabriel was still asleep. The IV was still attached to his arm. She went over and sat down on the bed with him, seeing his chest move up and down slowly. She waited patiently for him to wake up and looked to her right, seeing Gabriel's clothes and shoes on the nightstand next to the bed. His trumpet, which was sitting right next to his clothes, remained untouched.
Hearing him moan in his sleep, Mica looked at Gabriel and saw him starting to move. "Gabriel? Are you awake?" She asked.
Gabriel turned his head to his left and slowly opened his eyes. "I am now. Where have you been?"
"I told you I couldn't stay. The doctors wouldn't let me. I'm here now."
Gabriel attempted to give her a smile, but it was very faint. Despite sleep, he still looked very tired.
Mica put on a smile for him and ran a hand through his feathery black hair. "You look good, Gabriel."
"You're looking good, too, kiddo", said Gabriel, weakly.
"Thank you", said Mica, her smile slipping a little.
"You okay? You look like you got something on your mind."
Mica shook her head. "It's nothing. I just had a run-in with Zuliel last night."
Gabriel furrowed his brow and raised himself up into a sitting position, leaning back against his pillow. "Zuliel? What did she want?"
"She tried to get me to turn myself over to Lucifer", said Mica. "I told her I would rather have my heart cut out than serve one who tried to overrule God."
"Good girl. You did the right thing." Gabriel praised her, then blinked and looked over and reached for his trumpet, holding it in his lap. When he was an Archangel, God gave him this powerful instrument so that whenever He decided man's time was done, Gabriel was to blow his trumpet and announce the coming of judgment, but since he was now a mortal, Gabriel's trumpet was of no danger to mankind and was just an ordinary trumpet.
Mica knew how powerful Gabriel's trumpet was, and stood up and gave him a worried look when he tried to bring it to his lips. "What are you doing?"
"Relax, Mica. It's useless. Watch-" Gabriel put the trumpet to his puckered lips and blew a few musical notes. While nothing happened, Mica still covered her ears and felt her body tense up, expecting disaster.
Gabriel lowered his trumpet and asked her, "What's the matter? Scared?"
"Yes, I'm scared", said Mica, lowering her hands.
"What's there to be scared of? I'm a monkey now, remember? If I'm not special, neither is my trumpet."
"I don't care. Give me that thing." Mica snatched away Gabriel's trumpet and chose to sit in a chair next to him instead. She moved her long hair out of her face and asked him, "So, how long do you have to stay here?"
"Not too long, hopefully", said Gabriel. "I tell you, I didn't expect to get beat up on my first day of being a monkey."
Mica sighed. "Gabriel, we need to talk about that."
Gabriel shrugged his shoulders. "Talk about what?"
"About your attitude towards humans. Why can't you just accept them for the way they are? What have the humans ever done to you that has made you hate them so much?"
"It's not what they did to me as much as what God did for them and didn't do for us. He loves them more than He loves His angels. So He gave them souls. So what? Does that mean He doesn't love us anymore?"
"You know very well that God loves us all equally. God had Michael turn you human because you needed to be punished. First, you started a war, then you tried to kill a woman. Nay, a pregnant woman."
"So what? Can't we just let bygones by bygones? Forget about what happened in the past?"
Mica shook her head and told him, "It's easy to forgive, Gabriel, but it's not so easy to forget. Need I remind you we lost hundreds of our brothers and sisters because of what you started?"
"This isn't the way I intended for it to go", said Gabriel. "I never wanted any of our family to suffer or get killed. I just wanted it to be like it was."
Mica sighed again, sounding disappointed. "Oh, Gabriel, listen to yourself. This isn't the angel I know and love. You were once one of the most powerful and well-reserved angels in Heaven. Now, you're just a man, and still so blind."
"You don't have to keep reminding me of what I am, Mica", said Gabriel, angrily. "I know goddamn well what I've become."
"Watch your tongue when you speak to me", Mica warned him.
"What are we even arguing about, huh? You don't need this. You shouldn't even be here. Why don't you just go home?"
Mica shook her head. "I can't."
"What do you mean you can't?"
"I mean I'm on my own, Gabriel. If I can't help you, then you must help yourself. I know you think being human is a curse, but I believe you've been blessed with a gift as opposed to a curse. Just let me help you. Please."
Gabriel cast his eyes down and took hold of her hand. Licking his lips, he looked into her eyes and said, "If it really means all that much to you, I'll try to adapt. But just remember: when this whole thing blows over, you don't owe me a thing. Not a damn thing."