9 Chaper 9: Lizanne

I looked up to meet her eyes; Aunt Mae's facial expression went from cheerful to a worried one in a matter of seconds. I was confused to why my dreams had her worried, after all they were just dreams. "Something wrong Aunt Mae?", I asked as I brought the mango to my mouth. She pressed her lips together and scoot her seat closer to me, "I may know the reason why you had the same nightmare twice; and if you do not know the truth, it could do more damage to your body", she anxiously said as she reached to clutch my hand. I looked into her eyes for a sign to indicate whether she was joking or dead serious. By the looks of it she was definitely serious about her statement. In confusion I mentally prepared myself for the news she was about to tell me. "Your real parents are Josette and Silas and were killed the day you were born. My guess is that your mother accidentally implanted the memory of her death into your head before we had to take you away", she said calmly. What? "Real parents? Implanted a memory? Take me away? Aunt Mae, you are not making any sense. My parents would have told me if I was adopted by now", I said in rejection. My aunt nodded her head side to side as she proceeded, "they do not know that you aren't their real child because I made them think you are their flesh and blood. Look, honey, your real parents and I; we are not human, and neither are you. We look like humans, live among humans, behave like humans but, we are fallen angels. You are the first pure-blood fallen angel child", she announced. I sat up from my slumped posture and mouthed 'what' to her. This news was not settling with me and I wanted to pull away but I couldn't, her grip on my hand was keeping it captive. "I um, I'm gonna go", I said as I removed my napkin from my lap and stood up. "Lizanne. Please, sit down. Listen to what I have to say before you go. I know everything I said so far may be hard to digest or understand even but please, you need to know", my aunt said earnestly. In my eighteen years of living my aunt has never uttered my full name or anyone else for that matter. Even at my high school graduation the principal called me Liz. I was taken by surprise big time. I bit my lower lip and decided to sit back down. This must be some serious shit.

Aunt Mae took a deep breath before continuing, "I'll start from the beginning. It was about 300 years ago when your parents were locked out of heaven. Once an angel gets locked out of heaven it is very hard to communicate with the heavens and get let back in. Your golden or white hair becomes jet black or rosy red. Your silver white wings become as dark as a starless night". My aunt paused staring at the floor briefly lost in thought. "Why did they get locked out of heaven?", I questioned gradually becoming curious. "Your parents fell in love with one another. As an angel your love should be reserved for the humans. God's people, their creation. The love of an angel was never intended for another angel. Once you fall in love, your work can be jeopardized. Your judgement is tainted and you become distracted. Your parents got found out and then they were kicked out essentially", she said with a shrug. "Did that happen to you too?", I asked. She nodded yes. "Anyways, your parents lived among the humans, served the humans, did everything they usually do as angels, but this time as fallen angels for 200 years before Satan from down under got word of two angels who had fallen. Satan sent two helpers to recruit your parents but was immediately rejected each time he tried to recruit your parents. Satan admired their devotion to humans and their work even after being locked out and finally decided to give up after asking for a hundred years. Your mother was eight months pregnant with you at the time Satan recruited your parents for the last time. The two helpers who did the recruiting for Satan took your parents' century long rejection as an insult, they saw it as your parents acting like they were too good for the underworld. So, one night when your parents were sleeping the helpers came to cut off their wings. And um…", my aunt choked on her words. "What Aunt Mae? What happened?", I said urgently wanting the whole truth to quickly unravel. She let a single tear and continued, "when an angel is clipped, they lose all their angelic powers. Like pixie dust is to fairies, angel wings are to angels; it is the main source of their power. When an angel's power source is cut off, they perish not long after. Your parents knew they only had a month left to live, they didn't want anything to happen to you and wanted you to live on, so they knocked on heaven's door and begged God for help. God took pity on them and promised your parents that you would be protected once you were born because they saw the good your parents have done even after they were locked out". My aunt let go of my hand and wiped the tears rolling down her cheeks. I did not know what to do or what to say, I sat in my position giving my aunt the time she needed to recollect herself. She took a sip of her now cold coffee and went on with the story. "God guaranteed your safety and tasked your parents with one last mission. It was to catch the two helpers who clipped their wings and bring them to justice by charging them of their crime of a universal forbidden act; cutting off one's power source and in your parents' case, it was wing clipping. If the mission could not be completed it is then to be passed down to you". I furrowed my brows, "to me?", my aunt nodded. I got the feeling that my parents did not complete their mission and my heart began to race. "Your parents were running out of time and their powers were being depleted each day; in result of having limited power, they were not nearly to the level of strength they needed to be to fight Satan's helpers. They probably knew that they were not a match, but they still fought with everything they got. Your parents were stubborn and persistent. In Josette's last moment she had ordered me to conduct a C section to get you out of her dying body and somewhere safe. I know it would be unbearably painful, but your mother's desperation and plea was all it took for me to cut open my best friend and save her child. I couldn't save her so the only thing I could do, was to save you. She made me promise to take care of you before she died. She didn't really need to ask me to promise her though because I knew it was my duty to my best friend to keep her child safe at all cost", my aunt said nasally. I was rendered speechless, and a wave of sadness engulfed me. My tears rolled down my cheeks as I pictured everything my aunt just explanation. I struggled to accept everything my aunt said but I know it was the truth. My heart felt the pain and devastation of my parents' death and what was done to them. I looked to my aunt and we mourned my parents together silently.