15 Mirror, Mirror on the Wall
Amber
“Help me! Help me!” I was screaming in the middle of the road.
Everything before my eyes seemed familiar, but I couldn’t figure out why. I stopped in my tracks to watch the setting sun, but my gut was telling me that something was behind those pinkish layers in the skies. I tried to shake my head and remember what it could be, but to no avail.
“Well, well, well, look who’s here.” Blake appeared before me and smirked.
“Ah, give me a break!” I huffed.
“Isn’t this familiar, Amber?”
“Get out of my way, Blake,” I said, walking past him.
“Where is your guardian angel, Amber? And your . . . ahm . . . possessing angel?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Get away from me. I don’t have time for you right now.”
I continued to walk my way, but he kept on following behind me.
“Poor human. Why don’t you come with me and be with my master.”
“Your master is an idiot, you know that? And since you are Riley's right hand, tell your master and your master’s master that you're all f*****g idiots! Tell him I’m gonna let him pay for killing Greg and for taking my memories that he was not supposed to do. Now don’t piss me off, or you’ll surely regret it.”
“Oh I would love to piss you off—”
“Shut up!” I snapped and glared at him.
My eyes turned red as reflected on his glasses, and I could tell he was pleased to see my wings sprouting and flapping on my back.
“Oh, my master would be very happy to see this.”
“I said, shut up!” My voice sounded more like a growl.
My wings spread out wider and bent forward, throwing sharp feathers at him who repeatedly missed the attack. The turbulence in my gut had consumed all of my human strength to the last drop that I finally gave up. As I fell to the ground, my feathered wings transformed into a blazing fire and surged tremendously like waves with so much power. I could see Blake hiding his fears behind a fake smile.
“Wanna know what real fun is? Let’s play,” I said.
“Nah, I’m too bored to play. See you next time, Human.” He smiled devilishly before vanishing into the diffusing light of the twilight.
“My name is Amber, you idiot. Not my real name though,” I muttered before losing my senses.
***
Micca
“Barachiel, stop it please,” I begged, crouching in pain.
Barachiel didn’t utter a word. He stood at the prison cell, watching me without blinking his eyes.
“Your vessel has extremely tainted you, Micca. There’s something in you that we have to destroy.”
“Destroy what? You’re destroying me! How could you do this?”
“I have to. Everything just went so fast, Micca,” he answered. “It normally takes longer before an angel gets tainted by a corrupt vessel, but your case is different in the history of heaven. It’s like a parasite multiplying in an unstoppable rate, and you’re losing your heavenly identity in no time.”
“Why didn’t you think of precautions? You’re supposed to protect me. Heck! You’re the head of the army. Besides, I did not choose my vessel!”
“Exactly my point, Archangel Micca. You did not choose your vessel. The vessel chose you.”
“What?”
Barachiel stopped my affliction.
“Oh . . . thank goodness,” I uttered, gasping for breath.
“Have some rest,” he said before leaving me catching my breath.
“I wish there’s something I could help you, Micca.” Gideon appeared.
I sat on the floor, holding the prison bars.
“Forget it. There’s nothing you can do anyway,” I answered.
He sighed.
“What’s gonna happen to my vessel now?” I asked.
“I don’t know. I wasn’t allowed to go back to earth either.”
“Oh, I pity that human being. She’s filled with anger and lust in her heart, and I could feel it while I was inside her. It’s like I couldn’t breathe. There were times when I wanted her to stop, but darkness was so strong in her that I always ended up defeated, and I’d just . . . give up and let her do her thing.”
“Does that explain the mood swings? You know . . . Amber to Micca, then back to Amber . . .”
“Well, probably . . . yeah.”
He sat down and shook his head. “Ah, that was draining. I couldn’t even identify who’s talking because the both of you were torturing me.” He facepalmed.
“Why not? I have been telling you to change your vessel, but you chose a cat among all potential vessels. Tell me, what happened to the boy?”
“I told you, but you don’t believe me. The boy is missing.” Gideon shook his head.
“Whatever.”
“I was just wondering. How was it going inside your vessel?”
I sighed. “Well, it’s like we were stuck in a space where we argued a lot. She wants to do something, but what she would like to do was against my will, and what I wanted to do was against her will. Do you get it?” I took a deep breath. “It was suffocating!”
"Why didn't you get out from your vessel? Angels can just come and go."
"Like I said, I just opened my eyes one day inside a human's body. and I was trapped since then. Barachiel didn't tell me that he can separate me from my vessel. He should have done it a long time ago before things happened. I can't believe he lied to me."
“I pity you, man. Good thing it wasn’t too late before you’re thrown into the human world as a mortal.”
“I’d rather be a mortal than be a stinky cat.” I scoffed.
“Stop it, Micca. If not because of me, you could have been dead right now.”
“Oh, so I owe you my life now?”
“Are we gonna bring our fight from earth to your prison cell?”
Gideon and I looked at each other and crossed our arms.
“Alright!” I raised my hands. “Thank you so much, kitty. I owe you my life.”
‘Meow!’ he said before we burst into laughter.
***
Amber
“Hello. I am Dr. Pierce. How are you feeling?” she said, looking at me while writing down notes.
‘Ah, my head hurts,” I responded.
‘Take it easy. Don’t try to get up just yet, okay?”
“Where am I? Why are my clothes different?”
“You’re in a hospital. Do you have a guardian or anyone to take care of you?”
“No one. I have no one.”
“I see,” she answered before silence took over. “May I ask for your name?”
“Amber.”
“Amber . . .”
‘Amber Greene.”
She paused. “That’s odd. Were you the same Amber who was just here a few days ago?”
“Excuse me? I was here a few days ago?”
“Well, not you actually. It’s a different girl having the same name as yours.”
“Seriously? Do you know where she is? Can I ask for her records? What does she look like? What was she doing here?”
“H-Hold on, take it easy,” she said, stopping me from getting up. “Just take some rest. I can let you go tomorrow, I promise—”
Knock! Knock!
“Come on in,” she said.
A nurse opened the door and came in.
“Dr. Pierce, you’re needed at Room C120,” she said.
“I’ll be there in a minute,” Dr. Pierce answered before the nurse closed the door and went out.
“Stay right here, okay. Get some rest,” she said before leaving.
I slowly got up, holding my stomach. The pain was so terrible that I gave up trying. I suddenly thought of looking at myself in a mirror as it’s been years since I haven’t seen my face which was at the mental ward before Riley took me into his hands. On my left was a bedside table with an empty aluminum tray with a glass of water on it. I drank the liquid and put the empty glass on the floor.
“Let’s see. Mirror, mirror on the wall,” I said, taking the tray and positioned it in front of me. “Who’s this . . . motherf*****r . . . I don’t know her at all,” I uttered with furrowed brows and narrowed eyes.
