"Fallen"

SONG: Eyes On Fire - Blue Foundation

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"Yes! It's Karina. I'm truly sorry.. I'll have them delivered soon. My schedule has been packed lately..- Yes! Yes, crescent-shaped with roses. I remember Miss. I apologize."

Fuck..

Running your own business wasn't an easy job. But at least she wasn't stuck with a 9-5 job she wasn't particularly fond of.

She went back to listlessly arranging some flower decorations and sets. Walking across a bunch of bouquets, she bumped against her table resulting in a thud as a photo fell. It was a picture of her parents.

"No!" She held the picture. Strangely the only picture she had of them. She'd lost both of them 5 years ago. The mental agony her father's death caused, resulted in her mother going crazy.

She disappeared. Out of nowhere. Even after many missing people send-outs and searches, not even a trace of her was found. Karina just had to live with my relatives until she was old enough to live and feed herself.

"Fuck..no..no." She groaned as she looked at the broken pieces before her. Tears filled and accumulated in her eyes.

***

Karina opened her eyes slowly, leaning forward to clean up the mess. She suddenly stopped. The photo of her parents was still intact.

What the fuck? Practically no way is this possible.

"What even...-"Before she could think any more, a new customer entered the door as the little bell rang. She got up, straightening herself.

"Welcome. How can I help you?"

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It was closing time. Just when she was getting ready to wrap things up and head home, a man, seemingly short stood in front of the shop. He kept staring at the display of beautiful flowers.

But he seemed to be gawking at one particular flower of which she couldn't surely make out. He was still, his eyes glued to the display.

An uncomfortable amount of time passed before he slowly passed her place. Something was off. This was just stupid to overthink about, so she left to go back home.

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Karina drove to a timbered area, where a huge part was owned by my mom and dad. The aroma of damp mud and rain was heightened by the tranquil atmosphere. She closed her eyes, tilting her head upwards, letting out a satisfied sigh.

She strode towards the left leading up to a dense thicket. A part of the area was filled was laid out with purple and blue blossoms. The delicate soft petals were formed in the most beautiful way possible, curved at the edges and thinner in the middle.

'Nova' is what she'd called them. Something she'd kept hidden is how she could create these blossoms, about which she'd felt so isolated. Something abnormal. Not what you would see every day.

She had discovered it when she was 12. She had been playing in the mud when a plant grew and gradually bloomed a light purple nova.

The strangest thing is how it could heal you physically and emotionally. The swift change in your mood, the instant relaxation. Like a sweet lullaby being sung to you, your senses dulling to a sweet slumber.

The only people who knew were her parents. They didn't seem surprised when she'd told them...which she always wondered about.

She sat on her knees, playing with the sand. She slid her hands under the layers of mud. Concentrating on the very essence of earth. It was like a shift of energy when a small sapling emerged.

After a few minutes, the sapling grew into a small plant with a purple bud.

She stood up pleased, deciding to take a stroll.

Karina relished in the feeling of walking in a humid forest. Pleasant to the ears, eyes, and nose. Her hands and feet were covered in mud but she loved it nonetheless.

She ran over towards a huge tree and tried to climb it for the thousandth time or so. Ended up failing miserably.

Strolling along the path of the forest, she stopped thinking. Suddenly, her back experienced a stab of pain, causing her to stumble. Her face constricted in discomfort.

It stopped at once. That's when she heard the rustling of dry leaves that surrounded the moisture-laden ground. Her senses heightened in alertness as she instinctively moved towards the source of the sound. She found a tree to hide behind, peeping to see what happened.

It was a tall man with ruffled black hair on his knees, his body bent forward...But most importantly...

He had wings.

Karina's mind instantly went blank..without a thought, trying to fathom the most uncanny sight she had ever witnessed. The strange man clumsily stood up, in pain.

Before she could even figure out, he turned his head towards her direction, meeting her eyes.

His eyes were dark brown, his face muddy.

Her legs were ready to take off until the man fell towards the ground like he was punched in the gut. He groaned in pain, his hands clenched into fists.

The events that later transpired were so sudden, she didn't have the chance to run.

His wings were bloody, yet glowing so brightly. He let out a loud cry of agony, feeling his wings slowly lose their life, detaching from his body.

He leaned backward, devoured by anguish, his wings tearing, his body covered in blood.

Karina gagged as she looked away, battling her mind wanting to leave for dear life and her body gluing her to the spot.

His body abnormally bent in different ways with two bloody cuts on his back. Slowly, a flame of fire circled the figure, glowing a bright red.

The scene lasted for an amount of time she couldn't think of. Her feet were stuck in the same spot, her body still, eyes focused on the angel-like man.

That's when the fire stopped, leaving a trail of smoke, of which the smell tipped her nose. The lack of emotion, the internal denial she was feeling was understandable.

He rose, in a strangely beautiful way, with black extensions. Replacing the two bloody scars which he bore just a while ago. He had black robes draped around him, which was visibly passable.

This was something she should've been terrified about, had nightmares about. But the sight of the man with black wings looked mesmerizing.

To her surprise, he turned around again but didn't look at Karina. He looked like several emotions were attacking him at once, making him only show discomfort.

She got a closer look. His silky black hair was messy, the mud on his face gone. Without a trace, so she could see his face. Karina just gaped at him, awed by what she saw.

He was breathtakingly beautiful. Indescribable. His distinctive enigmatic eyes were on the ground as if just coming to terms with what he experienced.

His body looked lean but built. His bare shoulders were exposed. The robes draped so loosely, so delicate. She felt drawn to what he radiated.

It looked just like two people in the same proximity, doing different things, indifferent to each other. But her attention was solely on him. The power he radiated, something not of this world. Like he was something angelic. Which was true considering what I just witnessed.

*****

He had wings. Wings. What the fuck was that? How can she out of all people be put in a situation with which she cannot fully come to terms with? And how godly he looked. How she was taken aback by his beauty. A mysterious creature whose wings were cut.

The thought made her cringe. Feel like a freak. It was all so bizarre.

While all these thoughts filled her mind like stuffing a pillow, she forgot the presence of the angelic man, whose eyes were on her, as if waiting for her to meet it. And so she did.

***

She glanced at the man, whose golden orbs bore into mine. Her body instantly stiffened. Scared. Her head, once again, as blank as a sheet of paper.

Karina was intimidated by him now. For real. Was he dangerous? Was she going to die?

Does this thing have something to do with her parents? Why would he end up here in her parent's land?

It felt like an hour of him just analyzing her, observing her. As she stood there like a fucking idiot, a naive one at that. He walked towards her.

Karina's heart raced so high, reverberating throughout her body. She was walking back, her pace increasing.

He gradually mirrored her pace

Panting, she started to run but then... he rose...from the ground.

He flew...With his wings, high in the sky and vanished.

Her heart sank. she ran towards her car so fast, the adrenaline was strong as ever. The engine roared as she set off, the incident imprinted in her mind, way too fresh.

The one thought dominating everything was his gaze.

So emotionless, yet so emotional. He was something not of this earth. But I was sure about one thing.

He was an angel.