Jennifer Murgia: Angel Star

“Generally, each point in the star represents a lifetime.

You are now upon the Judgment Point of your existence, the eighth point that allows your purpose to come full circle, therefore completing the Order of the Octagram.”

“Judgment Point?” I asked.

“The Judgment Point is just as it sounds. It’s when your destiny is revealed to you. The circle closes and your star is complete.”

I looked at my own hand that was both plain and absurdly human, the bitten nails, the ragged cuticles, and tried to hide what I felt surfacing on my face.

“What happens after that?”

“It depends,” Garreth answered.

“Does this mean I’m going to die soon?” I whispered.

Garreth lifted my chin with one finger and tilted his head to one side. “No, you’re not going to die. Trust me, the universe has big plans for you.”

“But if this is my last life, then…will you still be with me?

When it’s over?”

“Most likely, but I’ve never been through this with anyone before. I’m your Guardian.”

This was all so hard to digest but, somehow, I felt reassured by Garreth’s presence.

“Well, either way, you’re my angel and you’re here with me now.”

But instead of the radiant smile I expected, his face suddenly crumpled with concern. Beneath the quiet blue reflecting back at me I saw something deeper.

“What’s the matter?” I asked hesitantly.

“I’ve known you for so long that your life has become mine. I’ve tried so hard to ignore and to accept that you are my charge, nothing more…but I couldn’t.”

His brilliant blue eyes were suddenly full of something I couldn’t name and there was an edge to his voice that I couldn’t put my finger on.

“I asked for something nearly impossible.” His voice was distant, reflective, and when my silence prompted him, he continued. “If I could have one moment to know you and for you to know me, in eight days’ time, then I would feel my duty as your Guardian is truly complete.”

“Eight days?” That was all? I calculated quickly. Five days left. How was my heart supposed to live with that?

Now I understood the protectiveness I felt whenever I was with him, the familiarity with him. My soul recognized my protector, my Guardian. And now I would lose him. The moment I first laid eyes on him that day in school, I knew my life was about to change significantly and now there was more to it: the truth, what he is, who he is…what we are to each other. I couldn’t give that up.

Not yet.

“Why only eight days?” I asked. It wasn’t enough.

Garreth looked at me with intensity, folding my hands within his own. “As each point of the octagram represents an incarnation, each day that I am allowed here with you is as significant as a lifetime. Life in general revolves around the number eight, the universal symbol for infinity. It’s all I have been granted,” he whispered softly, almost sadly.

I shifted closer to him, my body suddenly feeling an intense need to close the slightest distance between us. I watched his eyes turn softly toward me, watched the way the muscle beneath his jaw twitched as he focused on the words he was about to speak.

“I came to you to help you understand that light cannot exist without dark. The world cannot have one without the other. It cannot survive on monotony. And no matter how peaceful we make our world, no matter how safe, light is not always prone to strength…it isn’t foolproof.”

I forced my breathing to return to normal, although I couldn’t let go of the fact that we didn’t have much time left. And now he was cryptically explaining darkness and light? I was so confused.

Garreth kissed my forehead gently and led me outside.

“Darkness takes many forms. The time has come for me to tell you about Hadrian.”

There was no obvious reason why I should shudder at the name, yet I was very aware of the prickling sensation on my arms and I looked down to see the light hairs standing on end.

Hadrian.

Why should I respond so vehemently to a name my ears had never heard before? The look in Garreth’s eyes was clearly unsettling and I, in return, was filled with unfamiliar agitation.

I placed my hand back into the safety of his warm one and asked the question my heart was dreading. “Who is Hadrian?”

Garreth set his jaw tightly. I watched him cautiously.

“He’s a dark angel.” His sweet voice deepened as he bowed his head.

I realized at that very moment how scared I was beginning to feel. But what frightened me more was the strange feeling coming over me. The same feeling I had from the dreams I couldn’t remember. The same feeling that washed over me when I stood at the bus lane.

There had been only one dark angel I had ever learned about and my skin crawled at the thought.

“Is he…?”

“No. But trust me, he’s just as lethal, perhaps even a bit more cunning. Hadrian was a Guardian originally, like the other angels. As he became more familiar with his human, much like I am with you, he became curious about how fear, anger, and even hatred could affect your world. It intrigued him. He became… How do I describe this? I suppose “enchanted” is the correct word…with the human psyche.”

I sat down on the smooth curve of an uprooted tree, curiously spellbound by his words.

“When the novelty wore off, he craved more.

Something darker had settled in. Hadrian was created with all good intent, but the lust for power overwhelmed him. Like the humans he studied, he discovered that it is so much easier to give in to the havoc than it is to disregard it. He eventually set his sights on toying with another society. A hidden society that seemed untouchable, one he knew only too well.”

“Other angels?” I guessed as I tried to follow how someone so pure and good could become so corrupted.

“Yes. If he could conquer and control the Guardians then Hadrian would truly be victorious and he would control the most powerful army, an army of vulnerable, unprotected humans, molded into whatever he wants.”

“But can’t God stop him?” I couldn’t understand how this could be happening. If God was the creator of all then certainly this wouldn’t be allowed.

“It’s been foretold that there will be a second war in heaven, the first being the war of the Archangels, when Lucifer was banished. Lucifer can influence humans here on earth, bend the will of many to his own liking.

“You see, an angel is sort of a direct link to one’s subconscious. We’ve perfected a way to tap into it.

Heaven is here.” Garreth placed his fingertip on the center of my forehead. In an instant, I felt the cool breeze of the park we were in yesterday. “Listen carefully the next time you hear the little voice inside your head that steers you. It may not be your own.”

With that he gave me the most incredible smile, and although it was somewhat pained, it outshone any sun.

“Hadrian’s ultimate goal is to control the angels.

Corrupting them will ultimately change how humans here on earth behave. It’s a domino effect, to take over what Lucifer has started. Hadrian has the highest advantage. He has the knowledge of a Guardian.”

“So heaven isn’t a place? I thought it was pearly and white.” My head tilted up toward the treetops, which were thickly obscuring any sign of blue sky.

“Heaven starts within. It’s your soul’s sanctuary. But Hadrian has the power to corrupt psychologically. He’s blatantly abusing his power as a Guardian.”

“But wouldn’t Lucifer prevent Hadrian from challenging him?”

“You would think so. But, you see, that’s what gives Hadrian the thrill, the constant hunger for more. Oh, sure, Lucifer will come after Hadrian, that’s inevitable.