Echo of an Earth Angel (The Earth Angel Trilogy: #1)

by Sarah M. Ross

  “I will not sway the decision; it is not my place. You know that. Nothing I say could outweigh your actions. But I’ll be there for you when you return. However long that may be.”

  The angel led David into a small room and sat him down in a lone chair set apart from the others. David’s foot tapped nervously as he waited for the Ducibus to arrive. He scanned the area. It reminded him of a massive office conference room with a row of large desks dominating most of the space and several chairs turned to face them. David wasn’t sure why they bothered with the theatrics. They were omniscient beings and already knew what had happened. There was no deliberation on guilty or innocent. This wasn’t a democracy. He guessed it was so the accused people could voice their side of the stories and feel like they still had hope. David’s main concern was what they would do about Tessa. They knew about her, no doubt. While she was innocent and never intentionally did harm, they’d never leave her to live out a normal life. She would be hunted and forced to train. She’d never see her friends, get married, have a family, or pursue any of her own dreams. Andre was Tessa’s only hope now. If he could cloak her, shield her from their view, then she’d have a chance. He knew it was slim, but that’s all he had left.

  A door swung open and the five who would tell him his fate strode in. Their hooded pale blue robes flowed gracefully as they walked and their faces remained hidden. David closed his eyes for a millisecond. He said a silent prayer for mercy and a final goodbye to Tessa in his head. This was it. The moment he’d run from for over two decades was upon him. He stood and bowed in respect. The members of the Ducibus nodded in reply. Though they never lowered their hoods, David knew. Their decision had been made.

  Tessa awoke with her heart racing and her palms sweaty. Just a nightmare, just a nightmare, you’re okay, she assured herself. For the past week, she’d woken up from the same nightmare over and over.

  It started the same: Tessa was at school sitting in history class listening to Dr. Brillman prattle on about the Aztec civilization and how we wouldn’t be as advanced a society without their genius. Doodling hearts and flowers on the side of her notes, the old wood door slammed shut and David stood in front of her. He was gaunt with bloodshot eyes and pale, cracked lips. He screamed at her, but no sound came out of his mouth. He stretched out his hand to her, silently begging for her help. Tessa tried to get out of her seat, but she her legs wouldn’t budge. No one noticed him, and though she cried and screamed for someone to help, the class lecture continued as if nothing changed. Finally freeing herself from the confines of the chair, she ran to David. But as she touched him, he crumbled to the floor and faded into blackness. His last words blamed her for not saving him. The look of disappointment and bitter resentment in his eyes was more than she could bear. Wallowing in her grief, she returned to her desk and put her head down. That’s when Dr. Brillman finally noticed her and gave her detention for not paying attention to his lecture.

  At this point, she usually woke up. But the latest dream was different. Instead of returning to her seat, she ran out the door in search for David. The halls were littered with hundreds of students, way more than there should’ve been. She was like a salmon swimming upstream. She shoved through the throngs of people trying to find the exit. She wasn’t sure where she would go once she arrived, but she knew for some reason she needed to get there. The other students wouldn’t let her by no matter how many times she tried to press forward. She was pushed farther and farther from the exit with no way to stop. Finally she was jostled so far she was in the cafeteria. There, standing on a table in the middle, was Nico. He wore a toga with high top Converse sneakers and a giant digital clock around his neck like Flava Flav. All of the cafeteria faced him while he gave a soliloquy from Julius Caesar.

  Without missing a beat and still in iambic pentameter, he hopped off the table and stood in front of Tessa. His eyes became mirrors, and she gasped when David’s form appeared in them. He was bound to a cement wall with chains at his arms, feet, and neck. Blood oozed from gashes all over his body. A masked man stood off to the side and yielded a whip. He beat David’s bare back while he howled in pain. The mirrors fogged over, and David was gone. As Tessa stared at Nico, he spoke to her, but it wasn’t his voice, it was David’s. He grabbed her by the shoulders, and whispered, “What’s gone and what’s past help, should be past grief.”

  And then she woke up.

  Tessa jumped out of bed and headed straight to her laptop where she typed the quote into Google. She’d heard it before, but couldn’t remember where. Her search revealed it was from Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale. She read it a few years ago in Mrs. Verenna’s class and remembered it was right after Queen Hermoine was accused of things she didn’t do and faced trial. Paulina comes in to announce the Queen has died and the King, knowing it was his fault she was on trial, is haunted for the rest of his life with the guilt of her death.

  Tessa closed the web browser, dumbfounded by the dream and the parallels of her own situation. Was this a message? Was David going to be condemned to death when it was her fault he was on trial? Did he blame her for everything that went wrong? She certainly blamed herself. She stood up and paced the floor. Maybe this was David’s way of sending her a message through the dreams. Was that even possible? She stopped pacing and ran toward the guest bedroom on the third story of the house where Andre had taken up residence for the past week. She glanced at her watch and groaned. It read 5:00 AM, but that didn’t stop her. She needed to figure this mess out. Tessa pounded on the door and waited a few seconds. She heard slight stirring from within, but there was no answer. She pounded again and was taken aback when Morgan, dressed only in one of Andre’s tee shirts, answered.

  “You may be my best friend, but I will slap you silly if you keep pounding on the door at this ungodly hour.” Morgan rubbed the sleep from her eyes and squinted through the bright light of the hallway.

  Tessa’s jaw dropped, and then she just shook her head at her best friend. The girl couldn’t hold a true grudge against her worst enemy. She may seem snarky and tough, but she turned to complete mush as soon as someone gave her puppy dog eyes. She shouldn’t be surprised she forgave Andre so quickly. “I guess this means you made up with Andre, and he’s no longer in the doghouse.”

  Morgan yawned and shrugged as if to say, ‘you know how I work’. After several moments of more yawning and stretching, Morgan finally answered her. “For now. But I know you did not wake me up for that, so what is it?”

  “As long as he’s not taking advantage of you and you’re happy, I’m fine with it. But I’m here because I need to talk to Andre. I had another nightmare, and I need his advice.”

  “Here’s mine: go drink some NyQuil and go back to sleep. You won’t dream anything with enough of that stuff. Works like a charm every time. Now goodnight and don’t let the bedbugs bite.” Morgan winked and started to close the door, but Tessa stopped her.

  “Seriously, Morg. I need to talk to him.”

  Morgan sighed heavily knowing she wasn’t going back to sleep anytime soon and shuffled over to where Andre was still passed out and sprawled across the bed. After prodding him a few times, he opened his eyes.

  “Now this is a sight I could get used to. Two lovely ladies in my bedroom when I wake up? Sounds just about perfect to me!”

  Tessa rolled her eyes while Morgan slapped him playfully on the back of the head. “Listen you pig, Tessa needs to talk to you, so can you act like a civilized human being —err, angel—for a few moments and not a Neanderthal? Seriously, I thought you were supposed to only have good and pure thoughts being an angel and all.”

  Andre sat up and put on a tee shirt Morgan threw to him from the floor. “My apologies, ladies. That was uncalled for, and I must have thought I was still dreaming.” He sat Morgan down into his lap, winked at Tessa, and continued, “And to answer your question, love, it’s all about free will. My thoughts are my own, even if I have to repent for them.”

  Morgan leaned
in, kissing him long and deep. Andre groaned and pulled her closer to him. It was all too much for Tessa. “Oh good gravy, I don’t need to see this. I’m going to start coffee. You two come down after you finish making me want to gag.” Tessa shut the door behind her and headed for the kitchen.

  As she poured three cups of the delicious brew, Morgan and Andre came in holding hands. She didn’t say anything, but handed them each a cup and took a seat at the eat-in kitchen table.

  “So Morgan tells me you keep having a nightmare you want to tell me about?” Andre added cream and two scoops of sugar to his drink before blowing on it to help it cool. He snagged a donut from the center of the table and inhaled half of it in one bite, causing jelly to ooze down his face.

  “I’ve been having nightmares for the past week, but last night’s was different. I’m wondering if it’s possible for David to communicate with me though my dreams. Or sending me a message through someone else? Is that even possible?”

  “Tell me about the dreams.”

  Tessa took a sip of the still steaming coffee and started at the beginning. She didn’t leave any detail she could remember out and when finished, tears welled in her eyes.

  “So I looked up the quote, and I’m wondering if it was somehow a message that David’s in trouble. Maybe he needs my help or he doesn’t have much time left. I need you to explain to me more about Heaven and how it works. Where has Nico taken him exactly? I know we’ve been talking about ways to get him back or get his sentence reduced, but I need to know what’s happening until that time.” The napkin she’d fiddled with sat in a pile of torn shreds around her, and she scooped it into the trash before grabbing a refill of coffee.

  “There are many factions of angels, Tessa. They each have a separate job working as part of the whole. You and David are Healer angels. You have been blessed with that gift on God’s behalf. I am a Guardian. I too have the ability to heal, but it is not my primary focus. There are angels out there who have the ability to send messages, but they usually wouldn’t come in the form of a dream, especially not to another angel. Though I guess they don’t know about you.

  As far as David, Nico would’ve brought him to the Ducibus for sentencing and from there he’d be led straight into purgatory. There are several different subsets to it, one of them being a place for punishment. Think of it like a prison. I’ve never been there, but from what I’ve heard it’s not pleasant. People who come out of it are definitely deterred from repeating their past mistakes.”

  Still hungry, Andre got up and stole a bagel from the counter, popping it in the toaster before he continued. “If I had to guess, I’d say David is there now. As you know, we haven’t found anyone who knows for sure, and I haven’t been in touch with anyone to hear about his sentencing or how long he got. It could be anywhere from a month to a century, depending on his crimes. And if he’s already serving his sentence, he wouldn’t have a way to get a message to you.”

  “I feel like we should be doing more. I’m not trying hard enough. I mean, he sacrificed himself for me. I shouldn’t be sitting around drinking coffee.” Tessa put her head on the table, resting on her arms and took slow, deep breaths. When that didn’t work, she pounded her head in her hands in frustration while tears threatened. The dream had really shaken her up, and after her accident last year, there was nothing she hated more than feeling helpless.

  “Tessa,” Andre murmured as he stepped toward her and took her hands in his own. “I know you’re frustrated, but it’s not as if we’ve been doing nothing. We’ve gone out every day this past week to try to gain information about his sentencing or even if an appeal was possible. It’s not as if we can announce what we’re doing either, otherwise you’ll end up captured and all of David’s sacrifice would be in vain. He wanted me to protect you, not rescue him. Running around to every angel we find and asking questions doesn’t exactly keep you low on the radar.” Tessa nodded. He was right, but she didn’t like it. “No one has ever escaped from Purgatory, not since the beginning of existence. Appeals or reduction in sentences are rare; I’ve only known of it happening once. I know you don’t want to hear it, but this may just be one you have to let play out. Let me continue in finding ways to keep you hidden from the Hunters, and David will come back to you when his time has been served.”

  “But it’s not fair. He doesn’t deserve to be locked up. What was his crime? Saving my life? He shouldn’t be punished for that.” Tessa stood up from the table and balled her fists. She was losing her ability to rein in her emotions. Morgan caught her hand and hugged her tight, rubbing her back the way her mom used to, knowing it would soothe her.

  “You don’t know the whole story, trust me,” Andre insisted. While his tone was still soft, Tessa could see his patience with her was wearing.

  “Andre, take me to one more place so I can find information. You said there was a place in New York that was a hot spot for Enforcers. Someone there will know something—they have to. Just one more and I won’t ask again. It’s only a few hours away and if we leave soon, we’ll be there by lunch. I really think I’m going to find out something today, like I’m meant to. You may not believe David sent me a message, but I think he did. I can feel it. He’s counting on me, and I won’t sit back and hide. I hid in my house for months after I got home from the hospital not wanting to deal with reality. No more.”

  Andre noted the determination on Tessa’s face and knew she’d go with or without him. He thought they were headed on a wild goose chase, but agreed. “Fine. We’ll leave here in twenty minutes.”

  Tessa squealed in delight at her victory and ran up the stairs to change. Today would change everything, she could feel it.

  Six long hours of playing “I Spy” and the license plate game finally ended. They arrived at a dingy bar called The Rusty Halo. Tessa chuckled at the irony of the name and wondered what the clientele would be like.

  The car doors shut as Andre and Morgan got out and flanked her sides. A small shiver of nervousness ran through her, but she brushed it aside and squared her shoulders. If she went in there looking like a scared little girl, that’s exactly what they would think she was.

  Andre tugged on her arm and led her and Morgan behind a large SUV to speak privately before proceeding inside. “Let me do all the talking. Remember, they’re not supposed to know about you and we want to keep you as inconspicuous as possible. All we want them to remember is ‘some girl’ was with me, but if you go causing a scene or asking questions you shouldn’t, you’ll stick out. The word of the day is blend.”

  “You’ve told me. Repeatedly. I’ll pretend we’re your groupies. I got it. Can we go in now?” Tessa was annoyed to the point of rudeness, but after listening to hours of lectures from Andre about how careful she had to be, she was ready to smack him.

  “The guys in here aren’t the type who sit on clouds and play harps. There’ll be Enforcers, Hunters, and Possessors—maybe even more, I don’t know.”

  Morgan’s eyes widened with sudden fear. “Nico won’t be here, will he?”

  Andre pulled her closer. “No, I don’t think so. He will know better than to try to get close to you now.”

  “You’re sure?” Tears pooled in her eyes.

  “Yes, sweetie.” He kissed her temple as she began to tremble.

  Needing to distract Morgan’s thoughts, Tessa changed the subject. “So what’s the purpose of all these dark angels?”

  “They make it their job to bring chaos, misery, and devastation. It’s their part in keeping the balance. They’ll not hesitate to turn you in or punish you simply for existing,” Andre explained, never letting go of Morgan.

  “But that’s not my fault! How can I be punished for existing?”

  “It’s not so much as a punishment as it’s taking your life as you know it away from you. They will, however, punish David for creating you. It’s against the rules.”

  “But you said they might have answers; that they could help.”

  “They will have
information, but they aren’t going to just hand it over. I’ll need to coax it out of them. And trust me when I tell you it won’t be easy. It’ll take a while. I can’t just run in there and pry out answers. It’ll be a process.”

  “Thank you,” Tessa said quietly when she realized how much he was risking. Without Andre she never would’ve made it this far. She may have been irritated and annoyed, but she could see why David sent her to find him. He was a good friend.

  Andre nodded. “Stay behind me. Morgan, try to stay next to Tessa so they only get human vibes. They’ll assume any angel they pick up on is coming from me.” Morgan nodded and Andre grabbed her hand. “Alright, let’s go.”

  The trio walked in and paused while their eyes adjusted to the dimmed lights. People occupied every inch of the small bar, leaving little space to maneuver. Tessa expected only a few patrons based on the handful of cars in the parking lot, but seeing the size of the crowd led her to assume they’d flown in. She edged closer to Andre and grabbed Morgan’s hand to keep her close. Tessa stopped walking and took in the sight before her. It was obvious this wasn’t a human bar, and they weren’t concerned with outsiders. She wondered if humans would’ve even been able to find this place on their own.

  Andre and the girls inched their way through the throngs of people toward the back of the bar where a few booths sat free. As they shuffled through, Tessa couldn’t help but be awed by what she saw around her. In the far left corner, several burly men stood next to a pool table. Each of the men took turns moving closer to it and then would back away after a moment. At first she didn’t realize they were playing because no one had cues, but as she took a closer look, she realized the balls were moving strategically every few moments on their own.

  Andre noticed her watching and leaned in to explain. “They play using their minds. They don’t need sticks.”