After the Fall ba-2

by L. G. Castillo

  “Be fair, Lash,” Jeremy said. “You antagonized Gabrielle even from the beginning.”

  Lash spun around. “You, shut up!”

  Naomi gasped. “Lash!”

  “No, Naomi. You weren’t there, and you don’t know.” He breathed hard. He was tired of everyone taking Jeremy’s side. “At the time, I didn’t see it. But now I do. I was questioned every step of the way. And Jeremy? Never. We did the same things, but Jeremy was always let off, and me? I’m the one who got in trouble. It was as if he could do no wrong.”

  “That’s not true!” Jeremy jumped to his feet.

  “You may be right,” Raphael said softly.

  Jeremy froze, and Lash’s jaw dropped.

  The room was a tense silence for a moment before Raphael continued. “Please sit down and let me explain.”

  Naomi tugged Lash’s arm. He took one look at the tears glistening in her eyes, and he melted. He hadn’t meant to get mad at her. “I’m sorry. Forgive me?”

  She nodded.

  Sitting by her side, he placed an arm around her and turned his attention back to Raphael.

  “As you know, Jeremiel is your older brother. As was the custom at the time, the first-born was given rights above all others in the family. He was the heir to what our family owned. With his right as first born, he was to marry before Lahash, and that is where your family came into play,” he said looking to Naomi.

  She pressed a hand to her chest. “My family?”

  “Naomi,” Raphael reached over and placed her hand in his. “Your first family is from the City of Ai. Your father owned an inn and was a very successful businessman. He was considered to be an esteemed leader of the city.” He released her hand and looked to Jeremy and Lash. “You two were born of a human mother and an angelic father.”

  “Rebecca,” Lash said.

  Raphael nodded, and his face grew sad at the sound of the name.

  “So, we’re Nephilim,” Jeremy said, sitting back down.

  “What?” Naomi gasped. “Aren’t the Nephilim evil giants?”

  “Some of the stories that have been told over the years are not entirely accurate,” Raphael said. “Just as there are evil people, there were Nephilim who took advantage of their heritage. As for my sons, I taught them humility and respect for all those around them. And, at the time, they did not know they were born half-angels.”

  “I thought all the Nephilim were wiped out?” Naomi asked.

  Raphael smiled. “You know your scripture very well.”

  “Catechism classes every Wednesday. I skipped once, but Chuy ratted me out to Welita. I couldn’t sit down for a week.” Naomi sighed with a smile on her face, as if remembering.

  Raphael took a deep breath as if what he was going to say next was difficult. “Among the humans, the Nephilim stood out for their beauty and strength. Many people in the city worshipped them as if they were gods. Jeremiel”—he threw a wary glance at Lash—“was favored above all, both human and Nephilim, for his skill and strength. There were many families who desired to betroth their daughters to him, including your family, Naomi.”

  “That figures,” Lash mumbled.

  Naomi patted his leg. “It’s all in the past. I’m here with you now.”

  Looking up at her, Lash brushed his finger across her cheek. “Yes, you are.” He turned back to Raphael and saw a strange expression on Jeremy’s face again. He ignored it, not wanting to upset Naomi again.

  “It was not that you were unskilled or lacked strength, my son. I fear I may have encouraged the people’s attention directed at Jeremiel and away from you. From the day you two met, it was clear Naomi wanted only you. And I”—he swallowed thickly—“I did everything I could to turn Naomi away from you.”

  He looked at Lash with tormented eyes. “That is a memory I wish I could forget. Believe me when I tell you, Lahash, there is not a day that goes by when I have not regretted my actions.”

  “Why would you do such a thing?” Naomi said, her voice sounded raw with ache. “Why would you have wanted to hurt your own son like that?”

  Raphael threw a glance at Jeremy and then turned to her. “Because I...I favored Jeremiel.” He paused, his eyes fixated on the floor, the words coming slowly, carefully. “And he favored...you.”

  Lash jumped up and screamed at Jeremy. “Get out!”

  “Come on, Lash,” Jeremy said in a soft voice, looking up at him. “That was a long time ago.”

  Lash took a menacing step toward him and looked down at the golden angel who threated to take everyone he loved away from him. He’d done it in the past. What was to stop him from doing it again? “You’ve been acting strange ever since you set foot in this house. Why is that?”

  Jeremy swallowed. “We didn’t exactly leave off on good terms the last time we saw each other. I wasn’t sure what to expect.”

  His eyes stared intently at Lash as if he were struggling to convince him.

  Lash searched his face, trying to read him. Jeremy was wearing his poker face. Damn it! He’s hiding something.

  “What aren’t you telling me?”

  “Please, Lash. This doesn’t matter anymore.” Naomi’s soft hands touched his tense arm and turned him around to face her. “For the entire time you’ve known Jeremy, that you can remember, has he ever tried to take anything away from you?”

  “Yes. He let you die. He could’ve saved you.”

  “That was different. His job was to bring me here. When I first met him, you told me he was your friend. And if you remember, I wanted to take a tire iron to him.”

  Lash grinned. “Those were good times.”

  Naomi looked at him expectantly.

  He sighed. “Oh, all right. No, Jeremy never took anything from me.”

  “And?”

  “And, he was always up front with me.”

  “So, why would you expect anything to be different now?”

  She was making too much sense, and he didn’t like it. Memories or not, he just couldn’t shake off the feeling that Jeremy still wanted her. He gazed into Naomi’s pale blue eyes framed by thick black lashes. She was so beautiful. How could he blame any man or angel for wanting her?

  “You’re right. I guess I’m just being paranoid.”

  She pecked his cheek with a kiss and then turned to Raphael. “I don’t remember any of this, and what little flashes of memory that have resurfaced have always been of Lash, and now I understand why. I love him and nothing, no one, can ever take my love for him away. That’s why we are to be bound as soon as he can make the arrangements.”

  Raphael’s face lit up. “This is wonderful news!”

  “You’re happy about it?” Lash asked.

  “Of course. I am not the same person Lucifer showed you in your memories. It may have taken losing you and Jeremiel to realize how wrong I was back then. Can you forgive me for my past, for my inability to be a good father to you?”

  Lash looked at Raphael’s pleading eyes. In all the time he’d known him, at least the times he could remember, Raphael had always been by his side, guiding him, helping him. Even when he did his best to push Raphael away, he never left. And now he knew why. Raphael was trying his best to make it up to him, to be a better father. “Yes...Father.”

  Raphael’s face lit up. “You make me proud—both of you.”

  He stood and pulled Lash into his arms. Surprised, Lash looked over to Naomi. Tears glistened in her eyes as she watched them.

  “Hug him back,” she mouthed.

  He nodded and placed a hand on Raphael’s back, giving him a gentle squeeze. He felt warmth spread through him, a peace he hadn’t felt for a long time.

  “I shall go with you to visit Michael,” Raphael said when he pulled back. “At long last, I have my family back with me. This is a joyous occasion. Is it not, Jeremiel?”

  Jeremy stood and approached Lash, extending his hand to him. “Congratulations. I wish you both everlasting happiness.”

  Lash looked down at his hand and
then back at his face. The only thing he saw was the sincerity in his eyes. He really was happy for him.

  He took Jeremy’s hand, and for a moment, he felt that maybe, just maybe, he had his old friend back.

  And then he watched as Jeremy turned to Naomi. He was barely able to look at her as he mumbled his congratulations and called her sister.

  5

  “Are you sure about this?” Naomi scanned the area surrounding the stream to make sure no one was around to see her and Lash stepping onto the bridge. Her heart fluttered with excitement at the thought of seeing Welita and Chuy again, although she wished Lash would let her do this alone. If she were caught disobeying Gabrielle’s orders, they might let it slide for her since she was new. But if Lash were caught, he might get in trouble for helping her.

  “Absolutely.” He took hold of her hand as they went to the center of the bridge. “I’ll keep a look out for you.”

  Naomi bit down on her lip. She was only seconds away from seeing Welita after all these weeks. Why was she suddenly afraid to look?

  “What’s wrong?”

  She gazed into his beautiful hazel eyes. How could she ever be afraid with him by her side? She was being silly. “Nothing. I’ll make this real quick.”

  She went to the spot where she knew she could get the best view of Welita’s house. Her hand brushed over the familiar railing. Again, her heart raced in anticipation.

  Knock it off, she told herself. Stop making a big deal about this. You’ve looked in on Welita lots of times.

  Taking a deep breath, she leaned over the rail. The water was still. It was like looking through smooth glass. For a moment, she saw nothing but the clear water. Then slowly, the familiar small white house emerged.

  Her heart slammed against her chest. Something was wrong. Something was off.

  The once lush green and perfectly manicured lawn was filled with knee-high weeds. The flowerbeds that Welita so meticulously cared for, her pride and joy, were overrun with crab grass and littered with beer cans.

  She slammed her eyes shut. This couldn’t be Welita’s house. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. Don’t panic.

  She was obviously looking in the wrong direction. She just had to be more careful.

  When she slowly opened her eyes, she saw the same small white house in the same place. She moaned.

  It is Welita’s house.

  Shattered glass littered the front porch, and the screen door banged loosely in the wind. Worst of all, every single window was broken.

  What happened? Welita and Chuy would never let the house look like that, unless...the house was empty.

  “No!” She wailed as she threw herself against the rail, leaning over as far as she could. The house was Welita’s pride and joy. She would never leave it. Her father grew up in that house. Something had to have happened—something so awful that Welita had no choice but to leave.

  Fear stuck in her throat as she thought of the one thing that could pull her stubborn grandmother away from her home.

  No! No way! Welita was not dead. There was no way that could happen. Welita had been in the best of health when she last saw her a few weeks ago. It had to be something else. It just had to be.

  Frantic, she ran along the side of the bridge, trying to get a better look at the surrounding neighborhood, desperate to find a clue, anything to explain what had happened to Welita and Chuy.

  “What’s wrong?” Lash followed close behind her.

  “Welita’s gone.” She sobbed.

  She looked at the other houses near Welita’s. They all had the same haunted, broken-down appearance. It looked like the entire neighborhood had been abandoned. “They’re all gone!”

  “What? Are you sure?” He leaned over the railing and peered at the water.

  “I-I don’t understand. It’s only been a few weeks since I last saw her. Everything looked normal. There were cars lining the street. The neighborhood kids were playing basketball. Everything looked exactly like it did when I left.”

  “It’s been a few weeks,” he mumbled.

  “Yeah, an entire neighborhood block can’t just up and leave in a couple of weeks, can it? I mean look at the grass. It’s almost knee deep!”

  He pinched the bridge of his nose and gritted his teeth. “A few weeks,” he repeated.

  “Why do you keep saying that?”

  He groaned and then slammed his hand against the railing. “Shit!”

  “What? What is it?”

  He paced the length of the bridge, running his hands through his hair and cursing under his breath.

  “I didn’t think anything like this would happen,” he mumbled as he dropped his head into his hands. “Stupid, stupid, stupid!”

  “Lash, please tell me. You know something.” Her voice grew louder with each word. She grabbed his shoulders when he wouldn’t answer, shaking him. “Tell me!”

  Tormented eyes met hers. “It was a few weeks...for you.”

  She blinked, confused. “For me? What do you mean, for me?”

  “Well, for us actually.” He turned his head away, unable to look at her. “I can’t believe I didn’t tell you.”

  She placed a hand under his chin and directed it towards her. “Tell me what?”

  He inhaled sharply and held his breath before he let it out in a rush. “Time is different here than it is on Earth.”

  “What does that mean? Time is different? How different?”

  Her heart dropped to the pit of her stomach. Oh, God! Maybe they’re all dead.

  Lash’s face zoomed in and out of focus, and she felt herself falling.

  “Naomi!” He cried as he caught her.

  “How...long?” Her voice was soft, fearful.

  “You’re in shock. Let’s get you back home. I’m so sorry I forgot to tell you. I can explain it all to you and then we can figure out—”

  “No.” She took a deep breath and forced herself to stand. Now was not the time to be weak. Now was time to be the archangel she was training to become. Taking another fortifying breath, she said, “Tell me. How long has it been?”

  “I never really paid much attention to time. We don’t measure time here like on Earth. I’d say maybe”—he gulped and eyed her with worry—“a year.”

  “A year! I’ve been gone for a year?”

  “Maybe less,” he said frantically.

  She let out a breath. She should be thankful that it was only a year. She turned and stared down at Welita’s house. She had planned to sneak in a visit when she was given her first assignment. She had wanted to give Welita some kind of sign that she was still with her. Even if Welita wasn’t able to see her, she knew Welita would know it was her. She’d even planned on seeing Chuy, knowing that he too had grown to believe that angels did exist. Now, they were gone.

  A sudden thought hit her. “Archangels are powerful. They can pretty much do anything, right?”

  “I wouldn’t say anything, but, yeah, they have powerful gifts. Why?”

  “I can find them.”

  “You won’t be able to go down to Earth unless you are given an assignment or one of the archangels gives you permission.”

  “But I’m an archangel.”

  “Technically, yeah, you’re an archangel, but you’re in training. You’ll still need approval from Michael or Gabrielle, and they would never give it, unless it was to serve some higher purpose.”

  Her face dropped. What was the use of being an archangel with power if you couldn’t use it? What was she going to do now? Tears slid down her face. “I thought Heaven was supposed to be a happy place.”

  He gathered her into his arms. “Naomi, please don’t cry.”

  She couldn’t help it. She wanted to be brave, to be the powerful archangel they expected her to be. She couldn’t. It was hard, so hard to leave a part of herself, the part that made her who she was, behind, her family: Welita, Chuy, her parents. Having them made her feel like she could do anything. When her parents died, she’d felt like
she lost a little bit of that. And now, with Welita and Chuy gone, it felt like she was left with a hole in her chest.

  Lash placed a finger under her chin and lifted it up to meet his eyes. “I’ll take you to find Welita.”

  “How?” She sniffed. “You don’t know where they are.”

  “I have a plan. Go back home, and when I return, I’ll have the permission you and I need to go down to Earth.”

  Her eyes widened. “I don’t want you to do anything to get kicked out. I can’t lose you too.” She wanted to find her family desperately, but not at his expense.

  “It’s perfectly legit. I promise. I can’t tell you now. Just know that I’ll get it for you. Do you trust me?”

  She looked into his glorious face, and his eyes gazed at her tenderly. She sighed, feeling hopeful. With Lash by her side, they could do anything.

  “Yes.”

  * * *

  Lash trudged down a worn path alongside the stream, a path he had taken hundreds of times over the years. I can’t believe I’m actually doing this.

  He had promised Naomi that he’d get her to Earth to find Welita and Chuy. Thinking they would surely empathize with Naomi’s situation, his first thought was to ask Rachel or Uri for permission. He axed that idea when he remembered all they had gone through and the centuries of separation from each other. It wouldn’t be fair to ask them, only for them to get in trouble. Archangels were not safe from being punished. Raphael could attest to that.

  That only left one person who could help him, and it irritated him to no end that Lash had to ask him for help.

  He shuffled slowly up the flower-lined path to Jeremy’s door. Jeremy lived in a one-room cottage along the stream, a few miles away from the bridge that was a gateway to Earth. Like his clothes, Jeremy kept his living quarters spotless, which was a difficult thing to do, especially after poker night. Even when Lash had offered to host, Jeremy refused, claiming no one would be able to get through the front door with the mountain of mess in his room.