"Which would be…?" I asked waiting.
"I'm not entirely sure." He said, and then, with a rising tone in his voice, "I do however know someone who can..."
"What?" I asked. "You know someone who can tell what I have to do with this?"
"Yes." He said. "There is an angel who lives in New York who can probably help us." He finished
"New York! I can't just go to New York!" Me, go to New York, on my own! Well, with Apollo of course, but still my mom would never let me go.
"Maybe I could go alone, but it would make more sense for you to come."He said. "The Angel's name is Diame. She is an angel of Prophecies. She works her power through your eyes, so I suppose I could bring a photo…but it would be much better if you came. Are you sure that there is no way you can go?"I thought about it. Well I did have four hundred dollars saved up, and it wasn't like I had anything going on…but there was still the mom obstacle.
"Here, how about you come home to meet with my mom. Just pretend you are like an old friend of mine or something. We could tell her that there is a camp that I wanted to attend last minute with you in New York or something. Maybe we can work something out." I offered. "Do you have anywhere to stay?" I asked. He looked down before saying,
"I had completely forgotten about that, see I fell today, and I haven't been here that long. I figured the first night I could stay outside or something…" He trailed off.
"That's okay; you can stay at my house." I offered. He looked up and met my smile.
"Thank you, you are a kind person." He said. No normal guy would have been that polite, not that didn't appreciate it. I figured it was the angel in him. We walked several more blocks until we came to my house.
Apollyon
Cadence's house was only one story, but it was huge. The walls where all painted with pastels, so the rooms seemed bigger and brighter. Cadence had gone into the yellow kitchen to start dinner for her mother when she came home. She got out everything she needed and set it on the stainless steel counter. She told me that I could go into the other room and watch T.V. or something, but I didn't want her to do all of the work. I tried to help, but every time I came into the kitchen she would come after me with the spatula like you would swat a fly. After trying four times, I retired to the couch, and tried to distract myself with a monotonous television program. A few minutes later I heard her voice from the other room.
"Apollo?" She asked.
"Yeah?" I called. She hesitated.
"Is it because of that that your eyes get brighter when you smile?" she said
"Because of what?" I asked
"Because you're an angel." She responded. She was very observant. Even out in the sunlight, and she still noticed how my eyes lit up.
"Yes." I answered coolly. "We tend to do that, but on Earth it happens less and less, because we are not as pure here as we are in Heaven. On Earth we can shine, but it only can happen if we are extremely happy." I said, realizing too late, that my words had a double meaning. Why had I lit up when I smiled at her? It was hours after I had fallen to Earth. I could understand that my eyes may have shown towards the clerk, because I had just fallen. What was different about Cadence?
One hour later Cadence's mother stepped through the doorway. She was about the same stature, maybe shorter by an inch than Cadence, and she had died blonde hair. She looked to her left into the living room, and saw me on the couch. She had a looked of confusion on her face when she said hello.
"Cadence?" she called uncertainly. "Who's this on the couch?" She said as she disappeared into the kitchen. She returned seconds later with Cadence.
"Oh, this is Apollo, mom." She said turning from her mother and back to me. "Apollo, this is my mother." She said looking a bit awkward.
"Please, forgive me for coming on such short notice, but I am a friend of Cadence's and she invited me over." I said politely. Her mother turned back regarding me, and then to Cadence again.
"I'm not sure I recognize you Apollo. Have I met you before? I'm sure I haven't heard Cadence talk about you." She said staring her daughter down with blue eyes.
"Oh, he, uh, is an old friend of mine." She said. "you wouldn't have remembered him."
"Well then, it's nice to meet you Apollo, I'm Ms Bell, Cadence's mom, but you may call me Amy." She finished.
"It's nice to meet you too, Ms Bell- I-I mean, Amy." I said, back pedaling.
" Apollo, um," Cadence glanced around the room as if some solution to this would miraculously appear on the pale blue walls. "He is going to a summer camp that is held in New York, and he was wondering if, maybe, I could attend, you know, and meet some of his friends." She finished.
"Which summer camp?" her mother said.
"Oh, the one about the, uh, church camp." She finished. I couldn't help but raise my eyebrows at her when her mother was turned toward her. She shrugged with an expression of extremely strained seriousness. Her mother spoke again.
"I think I've heard of a camp like that up in New York." She said. "Yeah, Cadence I think it would be good for you to go to a camp with a friend, and meet some new kids your age. You haven't been doing anything the whole summer vacation so far." Cadence looked like she was about to recoil with her side of the story, but apparently had decided not to, for this plan was working only too well.
"When would you be going?" she asked. I answered for Cadence.
"We would probably have to leave pretty soon to catch registration. Thursday is the last day, if that's alright." I offered. Her mom thought for a moment.
"Well that might cause a problem, see I have work for the rest of the week." She said. Actually, I thought, this could just work to our advantage if she is able to go…"
"Wait, I could drive her down myself first thing tomorrow, see I have to get going before Thursday as well." I told her, "It would be much simpler if I just drove her there tomorrow, see, I still need to register too." Her mother turned to me.
"You have a driving license?" she said, not appearing to doubt my age, but my road safety.
"Yes." I said "Where I used to live you could get a permit at age 14."I said. Then, knowing she would ask, I added, "I used to live in one of those fly over states."She nodded. I knew that they would have lower driving age, but I wasn't sure which ones, so I'd hoped she wouldn't press.
"Will anyone else be going?" She asked
"There is one other friend that I was going to stop by and pick up on the way up, is that alright?" I asked. I had to mention something about another person coming to avoid suspicion. It was already a miracle that she was considering letting an unknown boy, showing up unexpectedly, claiming to be an old friend. I didn't want her to expect that I was running off with her daughter to Vegas or something, because I had to make this work. I had to figure out what God's plan was for me and what Cadence has to do with everything.
"All right." Her mother said, I suppose that Cadence can go-"
"Oh thank you mom!" Cadence said about to hug her mom. That girl could be a seriously good actor.
"-but," her mom continued, "wait, I forgot to ask, is there a fee?"
"Yes," Cadence said, beating me to the answer. "But I have enough money to afford it." She said.
"Are you sure?" she said, "because I could-"
"No-no, it's okay, mom, I've got it covered." Cadence said with finality.
"Oh right," she said, "now I am getting hungry, and that spaghetti is getting cold." She said marching off towards the kitchen. I couldn't believe it had actually worked. I was believing more and more that God really wanted to let me know that Cadence was vital to our mission, and that I was doing the right thing.
"I can't believe we are going to go." Cadence breathed. She looked tired for a second, no not tired, but almost, old? No, that wasn't it. I couldn't place it.
"Are you two coming?" Her mom's voiced carried from the kitchen. Cadence and I made our way into the kitchen. Her mother had dished the spaghetti out onto three blue ceramic plates, and started pouring juice into a tall glass with intricate patterns painted by the rim. We each grabbed our plates and headed into the adjoining room. We all sat around a small, dark cherry, circular table. Through the near-translucent draperies, I saw the sun had begun melting into the horizon, setting off a purple to pink and then finally red hue across the skyline.
"So how has your summer been?" inquired Amy, pulling me away from the setting sun.
"Oh, it's been…interesting, I've had a lot of things happen." I answered, basically telling the truth.
"Well it has to be more interesting than Cadence's she said looking at her daughter, who scowled back.
"Mom! I've done things this summer." She recoiled.
"I only meant that you should get out more, that's why I like this camp idea." She said. "When does the camp start then after the registration? She asked.
"Oh, it starts around the beginning of August; there is more information at the registration, but I'm pretty sure it's August second." I responded. We ate the rest of our dinner while Cadence's mom talked about her job, which was at the local bank. When we had finished, Cadence's mother stated that she was about to retire and that we should do the same too, even thought it was only eight thirty, because we had a long trip ahead of us tomorrow. I still had to figure out in the morning the issue of traveling since I didn't have a car, much less a driver's license. I could have just flown again, but I didn't want to risk Cadence passing out again. Cadence said that they had a spare bed room, but when Cadence fell asleep rather quickly on one of the other sofas in the living room while watching television, I decided to take the other one.
I was about to fall asleep myself, when I heard Cadence whisper something. I thought that she had awoken for a second, but when I looked over her eyes were still closed. A minute later she spoke again clearer and louder this time. I could tell it was a full sentence, but all I caught was one word: Akashic.
My next breath was caught in my throat. The word for the Holy Records, only known to angels and God. Why was Cadence whispering it? What all did she say that I couldn't catch? She didn't say anything else for the rest of the time I was awake. When I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep, I awoke in the middle of a stone walled room. It was dimly lit with torches. I knew this place. I had never been there, but when I fall asleep, I travel. When my soul travels to a place, even if I had never been there been there before, I always somehow knew. Angels can travel to the past and places in the present when they sleep, but it isn't at random. God takes you there to show you something. This place, this room, was in a Castle in Mesoamerica. It must have been around the year 1000.
I gathered myself into the corner of the room, just as the iron barred, wood door opened on the other end. Two cloaked figures walked in, whispering something unintelligible. I could make out some of their breathed words as they got closer.
"What are we going to do?" asked the shorter of the two. They were both trying to secure the door as much as possible, I wondered why. Was someone after them? There was no other way out. The taller of the two threw the cloak off and let it fall around him. At first invisible, two magnificent silvery wings began to glow behind him, until they took complete for, and were folded behind his back. He turned around examining the chamber. I gasped. The young man had dark hair and silver eyes.
What was this? I had never been here before…I was born as angel in 1450. The second figure's cloak fell to the ground. She was still facing the opposite direction, but I could see she had long hair and big bright white wings. I was slipping away. The room blurred and then faded as the dream ended. I woke up to find sunlight spilling into the living room of Cadence's house.