The Gates of Gabriel

by Marie-France Leger

  “For you?” the waitress asked, turning to me.

  I bit down hard on my bottom teeth. “Nothing, I’m uh, I’m good.” I replied, folding the menu and handing it back to the waitress.

  “Are you sure?” Sam asked. “We have a great –”

  “She said she’s good, now go.” Mags sneered.

  The waitress quickly scurried away and disappeared into the kitchen.

  I’ve had enough. “You didn’t need to be rude.”

  Mags ignored my comment. “So sorry I’ve been MIA for the past few days. Siles and I have been having the best time.” She brushed her hair back to expose two plum hickies on her neck.

  Disgusting. I pushed the mental picture out of my brain, knowing that this was my chance to ask about Siles.

  I took a swig of water, eying her carefully. I knew that I needed to play it cool, but it was so damn hard, especially after her insensitive comment about my mom.

  Nonetheless, I mustered up the courage and posed the question. “So what happened the other night? You went ghost and didn’t talk to me for days.”

  She perked up, as if she was waiting for me to ask that. “Oh, well Siles and I were in such a hurry to get privacy so we could have alone time, if you know what I mean.” She winked, sipping her gin and tonic. “Yeah, we’ve just been having so much fun together so I kind of spaced. Totally my bad, but we’re together now, aren’t we?”

  There had to be more than that. Everything about her changed; the way she walked, the way she talked to people as if they were below her and she was the queen.

  “Honestly, I think I’m in love. He’s so great. He’s so sexy and amazing in bed.” She added.

  “You met him a few days ago, Mags. Do you even really know him?”

  Flashbacks of Beau and I figuring out that Siles didn’t even work at the casino came into mind.

  She raised her voice, gripping the tablecloth. “Of course I fucking know him. Are you insane?”

  Her pupils were dilated and her expression feral, like a lion who hadn’t eaten for weeks. I knew it was time to tell her about my discovery with Beau; I couldn’t keep pretending any longer. Siles wasn’t being honest and I wasn’t about to let him take advantage of her, even if she’d end up hating me for it. I took in a breath, smoothing out the white cloth she practically yanked off the table.

  “Mags, the other night when you left, I ran into Beau at the casino who actually works there. And, um –” I stuttered, trying to calculate my words properly. “We found out that Siles doesn’t actually work at Arc Royale. He lied to us, he lied to you.”

  Her face flushed, reddening with anger as she pushed back her drink. She stared at me in silence, her blue eyes intensifying. “Beau,” she emphasized. “You know Maya, I’ve never actually met Beau. Does he even exist? Or are you just making things up because you’re lonely?” She laughed. “No, no. I can’t be so harsh. I bet you know him so well, don’t you, Maya? Have you even fucked the guy? Does he even want you, Maya?” she snapped, her voice strained and sharp.

  I buried my nails into my palm, finding comfort in the acute pain that followed. Does he even want you, Maya… Her words replayed in my brain, taunting me with spite. Everything that came out of her mouth was an intentional shot to hurt me, to get under my skin. She knew about all the encounters I had with Beau – the police station, the cemetery, all utter coincidences. She knew how he made me feel; she was my best friend, of course she knew that I cared. She’s trying to hurt me.

  The ability to control my emotions was a mere balancing act at this point. I watched her in utter disbelief, my thoughts fraying into a vexatious frenzy. Leave, run, please. Stay, hit her, slap her! I didn’t even have time to defend myself before Sam returned with the food.

  “Steak and potatoes for you,” she said, placing the dish in front of Mags. “Anything else I can get you girls tonight?”

  “What is this?” Mags demanded in disgust. “This isn’t rare enough.”

  Sam turned bright red. “Miss, I –”

  “I am not paying for this.” Mags said pushing the plate in front of her. “Cheque, now.”

  “I can get you the manager, I’m sorry I thought –”

  “My father co-owns Swan Lake’s golf course. I don’t need to talk to your manager to get you fired,” Mags spat.

  Sam wasn’t the only one who turned red. A surging heat rose to my cheeks as I looked around, observing the sheer disgust in everyone’s expressions. Our waitress was shaking, visibly about to cry, while Mags egged her on, lying through her teeth. Mags’ dad was an accountant and most definitely not the co-owner of a golf course.

  “Don’t worry about the check ma’am,” she whimpered. “The drink is on the house.”

  Mags flung her bulky black bag around her shoulder and stood up. “As it should be.”

  The waitress ran off in a hurry.

  My stomach turned with utter humiliation. I paled as the room began to spin and my head weighed heavy. Get away from her, get away from her. The last thing I wanted was to be around Mags for another second. I didn’t care about the questions or the answers anymore. I was determined to be as far away from the ‘new’ Mags as possible.

  “I’m going to the bathroom.” I seethed, clenching my teeth together.

  The light fixtures were glossy, sparkling like diamonds above me. Only they were blurred, like the sea of bodies around me, melting together into a kaleidoscope of shadowy figures.

  “Meet me at the car?”

  I ignored Mags and darted for the ladies room, locking the door. I stood in front of the mirror and stared at my reflection, panting. Beads of sweat trickled down the base of my neck as the anxiety hit with full force. I ran to the stall and kicked it shut, hurling up my breakfast from the morning. Everything spun. Stop, make it stop!

  A sharp pain banged against my skull as I scrambled for my phone, dialing the only person I wanted to see.

  Three rings. “Hello?”

  His voice was distant, but I knew it was him. “Beau,” I groaned, wiping my mouth.

  “Maya? Are you okay?” he asked.

  “Pick me up, please. I’m at Fondos by Swan Lake.”

  A moment of silence. “I’ll be there in ten.” The call cut off.

  I sat on the cold floor with my head between my legs, trying to process my band of thoughts. I didn’t know Mags anymore, whoever she was, whoever Siles made her. What did he do to her? How did she become so vile? So unrecognizable? This wasn’t her; there was not a piece of her new persona that resembled the old Mags. New Mags is a cold-hearted bitch.

  I forced myself steady, pushing up off the ground and found the emergency exit that lead to the parking lot. I didn’t want Mags to see that I was leaving with Beau, considering that she ripped me to shreds about him at dinner. She doesn’t even know him. But… do I? Does she have a point?

  Mags was sitting in her car texting, unaware that I was approaching. She smiled at her phone, holding it up for a picture. I rolled my eyes, walking up to her window and tapped on the glass.

  “Hey, I’m not feeling well so I called my dad to pick me up.” I half-lied. I’d rather eat my own hand than spend another minute with you.

  “What? No, boo. I can drive you back home.” She replied, re-applying scarlet lipstick. She didn’t even look at me.

  I wanted to grab her throat. Control yourself. “I don’t want to get you sick. It’s fine, my dad’s almost here.”

  I backed away from the car, turning around slowly when she called my name. “Maya, wait!” She reached around to the back seat and pulled out a small purple box.

  “Before you go, I made you a cupcake. To say I’m sorry for not texting you because I was having amazing sex.” She smirked, holding out the box to me.

  I stared at her, hesitant to take it. Everything about her smile made me want to run for the hills. I didn’t know who she was anymore. I didn’t want to know. Whatever happened during those few days wasn’t my concern anymore. I didn’t w
ant anything to do with my best friend. What the hell is happening? Do you hear yourself?

  But… do you see her?

  With tentative movements, I grabbed the box and fully stepped away from the car. She flashed an elusive smile and rolled up the window, then drove off into the night. It was only then that I noticed the faint hue radiating from my finger. A knot in my stomach constricted, forcing out a gasp. All of the hair on my body was standing when I realized…

  My ring was glowing red.

  Chapter 14

  Kleaton’s Gate, Present Night

  Beau was deep in thought on his drive home from work. He hadn’t seen or heard from Maya since the incident with Mags a few days ago. He fought off the feeling of missing her, even though that emotion was undeniably present. She doesn’t matter to me. She’s necessary to win the war, to contain the evil… She doesn’t matter to me. But Beau knew he was lying to himself. Whether it was God’s plan or fate, it frustrated him that he couldn’t get her out of his head.

  He gripped one hand on the steering wheel and scratched his scalp. “Fuck,” he muttered.

  Beau felt something growing inside of him; an unfamiliar sentiment he had never felt for a mortal. He’d been with many women from different countries, but never stuck around long enough to find out if something could develop. But with Maya, he was obliged to stay for years and years. Because of that, he couldn’t distinguish whether or not his feelings were out of genuine protection or if something more was beginning to sprout.

  Beau pulled into his parking spot at Glass Hill Condos and turned off the engine. He sat in the car for a while in silence, occasionally glancing at the passenger seat where Maya once sat. Amidst all the panic that night, he had fun in a weird way and it made him smile, but he could never show her that. Maya’s the mission… that’s it, that’s all.

  He took in a breath, peeking at the silver ring in his cupholder, pushing away all the memories that it contained. He fiddled with it in his fingers, staring bleakly at the engravement: R.

  After a few moments he tossed it in his glove box, grabbed his keys and got out of the car. No distractions.

  Beau had finished an early shift at the casino and was home by nine in the evening. He sometimes questioned why he even worked in the first place; it would be so easy to compel his landlord into thinking he paid the rent every month. Although, Beau rather enjoyed sucking the greed out of foolish mortals, and brushing up on his gambling skills at the same time.

  He threw his keys on the entrance table and shut the door behind him. Letting out a sore gasp, Beau’s features twisted in pain as he scratched at his scars.

  Every night for weeks, heavenly fire burned through his back as a result of him prolonging the mission. It was a consequence, forged by the archangels if he strayed from his purpose… and that’s all Beau seemed to do.

  He walked past his kitchen, fighting the urge to drink away the pain like he’d done several nights in a row. He knew he had to tell Maya who she really was soon, otherwise –

  “Beau.” A booming voice startled him.

  Beau was standing by the glass window when Gabriel appeared. “Funny, I was just thinking about you.”

  Gabriel stood in the middle of the room, dressed in all white linen. “You haven’t told the Puritas.”

  Beau walked over to the couch and plopped down. “Why is it never a simple hello with you? How are you doing today? You have a lovely place.”

  In the blink of an eye, Gabriel had him pinned against the wall. “We don’t have time for this, Beau!” Gabriel held him by his shirt for a few moments before releasing him and stepping back. “Michael’s army is growing weaker and Lucifer’s fallen are moving up. He has convinced them that if they overthrow Heaven, God will bow down and the eternal burn of hellfire will cage the angels.”

  Beau found it ridiculous that the fallen would even entertain Lucifer’s whims, but then again, he was no secret to Lucifer’s manipulations.

  “There are several fallen that still want redemption. Their souls are trapped in hell, but they can help us. We need Maya, she has God’s grace; she can lift their souls.” Gabriel spoke desperately, eying him with suspicion. “Have you looked at your scars lately, Beau?”

  Beau avoided looking at his back. He knew that he’d been disobeying God’s orders by not telling Maya, and the longer he stalled, the darker his scars would become. And once they reached full darkness, he would belong to Lucifer.

  Beau gritted his teeth. “No.”

  He knew it was time to tell her, hell, he should’ve done it a long time ago. But if he was being honest with himself, he didn’t know how. He almost wished that he told her back then, back when she was still dating Tommy Weem or sneaking beers to bonfires. At least he didn’t know her yet… not in the way he knew her now.

  Running around with Maya these past few days made Beau realize something – she was completely and utterly normal, innocent. How could a normal girl accept such a title? The Puritas? A saviour of the afterlife? He didn’t want to place that burden on her back, he couldn’t.

  “What if she doesn’t believe me, Gabriel? What if she does nothing?”

  Gabriel approached Beau slowly. “Believe it or not Beau…” he paused. “She does trust you.”

  They exchanged a momentary stare in silence. Beau thought back to their encounter at the cemetery, yet another inexplicable coincidence. The rain practically drowned them, though Beau had a car to cover him and Maya did not. So he offered to drive her home, but she didn’t make it easy. When he used his grace to manipulate Maya’s trust, it didn’t work. Only when he showed a side of vulnerability did she soften. She trusted him on his own, without his power, but by her own will.

  Somewhere deep down, Beau knew that Maya cared for him too. He didn’t want to admit it to himself, because if he had, what then? They could never be together. Did he even want that? An angel and a divine mortal, thrown together by twisted fate? He saw her mother die – he lived on Earth for over a century, watching wars, galivanting the globe, satiating the darkness that grew within him…

  But Maya’s warmth was a glimmer of hope.

  Every time he looked into her hazel eyes, wide and gentle, his sins melted away, even just for a moment.

  “Gabriel,” he bit his tongue, but the words fought to come out. “I… I feel something for her.”

  Gabriel didn’t seem surprised, taking hold of his hand. “I thought you might, Beau.”

  Beau stood quiet in his thoughts. He didn’t want to lose Maya, but he was at risk of losing everything else. The war, his brothers, his home, all of it. He was afraid. He didn’t know how she would react, but did it matter anymore? Time was treading on a very thin line, a line that he could cut or save. Beau became clouded with affection that he was forgetting the mission, his position as the Nuntius. He couldn’t battle his fear any longer. He needed to do what was right. And when he finished the mission, he could go home. Yeah… Home.

  Gabriel handed a small white cloth to Beau. “Maya must say these words before drinking from the Holy Grail.”

  Beau unravelled the message, written in Latin. It translated to: From the chalice I drink holds the power of the trinity. By His name, I accept its grace.

  Whoosh. Beau looked up to find that Gabriel was already gone.

  Shutting his eyes, he took in a long breath, grasping tightly of the cloth before putting it in his pocket. Time for that drink.

  He walked over to his kitchen and pulled out a bottle of whisky, pouring himself a glass.

  Taking a huge swig, he finished the liquor in one gulp. “She’s my mission, that’s it. That’s all she is.” He uttered, wiping his face. “That’s all she fuckin’ is.”

  A twinkle glinted in his peripheral vision. Beau held in a breath and glanced over at the wall mirror across his table, dreading what was to come. He felt his scars becoming worse, the pain almost unbearable, but he was too afraid to look.

  He shut his eyes and glanced at the mirror once ag
ain, then back to his alcohol. “Fuck it.” He took one more sip and walked to his reflection.

  Steely grey eyes pierced back at him, dark and weary. His midnight hair swooped down over his forehead messily, curling over his ears. He stood for a moment, staring, attempting to control his nerves, then removed his black shirt. Beau glared at his abdomen, squeezing his fists tightly. He didn’t want to turn around. Though his appearance taunted him, demanding him to look. I have to do this.

  With dithering hesitation, he slowly turned, gasping in fright. A cornucopia of black veins coiled in every direction from his scars, sprawled like snakes underneath his skin. Beau gripped and pulled at his flesh, heaving with agony.

  “No, no, no!” Beau wailed ferally, scratching at his back. “God, no!”

  I can’t, I can’t be like them… I can’t fall, I won’t fall! He didn’t want to be in Lucifer’s possession, anything but that, anything but the fallen. In Heaven, he was just an ordinary angel. Gabriel chose him to carry out this mission. God and the archangels trusted him; they crowned him the first Nuntius… but he failed.

  “Fuck!” he screamed, punching the mirror with brute force. The glass shattered into a hundred pieces, leaving micro cuts on his skin that quicky healed.

  He collapsed to the ground in defeat. No one was perfect and no one could be perfect, Beau knew that. If he made one more mistake, the gates of hell would welcome him with open arms for eternity. An eternity of suffering. He sat in silence over the broken shards with his head in between his legs. I’m fucking doomed.

  The soft vibration of his phone startled him. He met his gaze in the mirror, staring at his sharp, bloodshot eyes, then pulled out his cell. The call display read: MAYA BRIXTON.

  Maya? With aching muscles, he pushed himself up off the floor and cleared his throat, pulling himself together as best as he knew how. “Hello?”

  “Beau…” Maya sounded anxious. He knew something was wrong immediately. “Pick me up, please.”