Chapter Eighteen-Healing Waters

"It's Bubbling," a brilliantly bright energy bound angel said as she danced, excitement overwhelming her," someone is coming!? Tully, someone is coming through the portal."

"Which one, sweetheart?" A tall angel with a magnificently white beard asked as he looked down the aisles of glistening pools, trying to see the bubbles.

"Over here, silly!" Rayna said with a giggle.

Tully turned around and noticed that she was standing next to the Order of Elijah's re-birthing pool. It hasn't been active in centuries, panic cloaked his next words," Go! Get Nesama, someone from the order has died!?"

Rayna covered her smile with her hands as her eyes began to mist, "Died… Kaleb…" she brushed a tear away and transfigured into pure energy, disappearing into the stream of light that led to the great hall.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

"Mom, has my dad called yet?" Gabby asked her mother before she took a bite of her Fruity pebbles' cereal.

"No, sweetheart. You know your father, he cares more about…" Clarissa stopped speaking negatively about the man they both loved," I'm sorry, Gabby. This must be hard for you."

"Mom, I love you. You can stop trying to be strong for me, I'm not a little girl anymore." Gabby said while slurping her multi-colored bowl of milk," we women gotta stick together."

"You'll always be my little girl, sweetheart. Get a towel and clean up your mess since you're grown, thanks." Clarissa smiled at her princess, stuffing separation papers into her purse.

"I'm going over to Juanita's after school, okay? We have a big project to work on, be home eightish?" Gabby looked at her mother with pleading eyes, "Please!?" Juanita had news on the demon hunters that were hired to protect Gabby's father. Tonight, would be the night when Gabby would ask Juanita's father to start training her, Juanita was only a year older, and she had been in training for a few years now. Gabby knew more about angels and demons than most adults, so it only made sense to learn how to kill one if the time ever arised.

"That's fine, Gabriella. I'll be home late; I have an appointment in the city." Clarissa stood and poured the rest of her coffee down the sink, rinsing it out and putting it on the coffee machine upside down," You make sure you call me when you get to her house, especially when you are ready to leave, I will come pick you up."

"Thank you! Thank you!" Gabby kissed her mother before running out of the house, leaving a mess behind on the table.

"Young Lady!" Clarissa said as the door slammed shut," Grown, right."

Clarissa closed the box of cereal, put the milk away, and cleaned up her daughter's mess. How could she be so messy, she must have gotten that from her father. She walked to the living room window and watched her daughter laugh with the other children at the bust stop. How did she do? How did she hold it all together in such a time as this, her strength must have come from her father, as well. Tears swelled and began to puddle as she thought about her husband and their last argument. She leaned against the door and slid down, curling up, and hugged herself as she wept bitterly, knowing that her husband had really taken this mission to get away from her and her unforgiveness.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

The sunlight gently kissed Livianna's tired eyes as she awoke. Lazily gazing at the surroundings, she took a deep breath and smelled a floral sweetness of Orchids, Lilies, and hydrangeas before seeing them all standing proudly in perfectly manicured grass that surrounded her bed, releasing their fragrant welcome. Hundreds and thousands of flowers lined the hills that surrounded the valley where her bed rested, this was her bedroom.

Huge dogwood trees stood hundreds of feet away from where she laid on her bed, creating a beautiful backdrop for the picturesque bedroom, all in bloom, with both white and pink flowers that danced gently as the breeze led.

"This must be the re-birthing garden." Livianna said out loud, knowing that she had really died. She had heard stories, yet they didn't compare to the actual beauty of this place.

Yawning, she pulled her legs up to her chest, hugging her knees, and stretching all of her tired muscles as she squeezed. Slowly, she turned her head, side to side, trying to relax the soreness that remained. Opening her eyes, a glint of light sparkled off to her left. She followed the shimmer and noticed a semi-transparent barrier that had materialized out of nothing, separating her from an overwhelming consuming bright light that seemed to be everywhere and the main source of her warmth and comfort.

"I need a shower." She said absent-mindedly as she looked around to the right and watched as a waterfall appeared twenty feet from where she was sitting. Rocks, sand, and a bubbling brook manifested themselves as she watched, it was as if her thoughts were the architects for her new room.

Livianna swung her feet off of the bed and landed in a few inches of warm water, the brook was now in front of her, inviting her to come closer to where the water deepened. Slowly, the warm sensation climbed her legs then inundated her being, causing goose pimples to form as the warmth's intensity got stronger. Her skin felt rejuvenated on the surface and her muscles loosened as if they had been massaged for hours within the instant her skin touched the water.

Intrigued, she removed her garments and entered the tranquil water, one foot at a time, until she was waist deep in body temperature water, allowing the full strength of the water to embrace her entirely.

The current pulled harder, inviting her to go deeper still. She gave in and dove into an overwhelming sense of calm, peace, and love; a love that she had always craved and never fully understood. This love's embrace captured her and took her deeper still until they both reached a place of absolute surrender, a place out of her comfort zone," will you trust me, Livianna?" A gentle voice questioned.

She looked around for the voice and looked upward, realizing that she had been pulled down to hundreds of feet on one breath of air. She swam frantically, fighting the current, failing and simply waited to die, again. She continued to hold her breath and waited for her chest to start to burn, and for her body to start to convulse, yet nothing happened. She released her original intake of air, creating hundreds of bubbles to swirl into the current and then sucked in the warm water, allowing it to saturate her lungs with both oxygen and strength; she could breathe underwater. With the new knowledge, Livianna began to twirl, dive, and jump into the current, playing as if she was a dolphin. She dove to the bottom and retrieved handfuls of golden sand, throwing them into the swirling current. Shimmering grains of golden sand settled, making the sun's light reflect off their shiny surfaces, looking like fireflies in the night. She went to do it again and was stopped by the urgent feeling that something huge was near her. She turned around to assess the danger and screamed in horror as a sixteen-foot great white shark swam toward her, looking at her through it's inky black orbs, smiling an evil toothy grin as it gently moved its fin side to side. Panic began to crawl down her spine when out of the deep a voice called to her, "Daughter of Elijah? Don't be afraid." a motherly voice called boldly behind her.

Livianna turned and beheld a beautiful woman floating effortlessly in the water's slipstream. Radiant light gathered near her hands, revealing her true form. Her face and torso were that of a human, yet her legs were made of flowing kelp.

"You're safe, mighty daughter of Elijah. Fear not, the curse of Adam has no power here. The shark is just a big fish who eats the LORD's energy, and lasagna, if you can picture that."

"The curse of Adam?" Livianna stared at the woman, amazed, and then back toward the massive shark who continued to swim her way. Within in second the shark moved past her nimbly; its large tail pushing it through the darkness, its underbelly reflecting the golden sand before disappearing out of sight.

"That's a lot of lasagna!" Livianna said, excitement drenching her words.

"It is mostly the healing waters of the garden that enhance every creature's ability and size." the woman said as she closed the distance within an instance," If you stayed in the waters, you would take on heavenly attributes as well, so don't stay down here too long if you plan on returning to earth.

"It has already happened; I can breathe underwater." Livianna said concerned

"No, you're still human, Livi. You are no longer under the curse of Adam; it has no power in Heaven for this is where the curse originated.

"Where is here, exactly? I know we're in heaven, but where?"

"This is the Garden of Eden. It has been remodeled slightly since the fall, yet many things remain the same." she waved her hand and light shot into the darkness, illuminating and revealing the aquatic life that quietly waited to be introduced.

Livianna watched as an assortment of brilliant colors, colors she hadn't even known existed, glowed and danced on the skin and surfaces of both the plants and fish that inhabited this mysterious place. Their colors reflected off of the golden sands, making the deep look like the aurora borealis of the western hemisphere, just brighter. She had never seen such an amazing display of colors on any fish or plant on earth, or in all of the years that she had lived on earth, heaven was a place full of wonderment.

"Livi, you have been invited to join me at the great hall. Many people have been waiting patiently for your rebirth, so are you ready to meet the LORD OF LORDS?"

Livianna looked down at herself and then back toward this angelic mermaid, "I can't meet Him looking like this, I need clothes."

"Daughter, He knows how many hairs you have on your head," she smiled knowingly," I understand, let us fix this then." she waved her hand and a flash of light exploded.

"Wait…" Livianna's words were cut short. A moment later they were both standing in her room, the deep waters had become a bubbling brook again; the great white shark now looked like a minnow surrounded by the many beautiful colors that continued to shine brightly on Livianna's toes.

"My name is Eve, Daughter of Elijah. I am the first and it is my job to introduce all of the rebirths into the garden, this is one of my heavenly purposes. Another is to help my guests feel welcome and accommodated, so here is your wardrobe." she waved her hand and a beautifully crafted wooden wardrobe appeared with an endless number of dresses.

Livianna stepped closer and didn't notice any of the patterns or fabric that had been used on these magnificent garments. Each dress, gown, robe, slip, and blouse had been handcrafted with colors and materials that she had never seen before. Gleaming jewelry made from rare gems, diamonds, and stones that she didn't recognize sat in the purest of gold on top of a giant table near the wardrobe. Next a giant mirror appeared and settled in front of where Livianna was standing.

"How did you do that?" Livianna asked as she studied the woman's attire, for she wore a beautiful flowing gown made of both silk and living flowers from the garden, creating a natural perfume that inundated the area. Her skin was now the color of tempered gold, and she wore a pearl necklace and earring set.

"Where did you get that dress, Eve?" Livianna continued to study the cuts and material of the design," is that Louis Vuitton?"

Eve laughed as she circled Livianna," Louis Vuitton has nothing on this dress, it's my own creation, I am the first inventor of clothes, remember. Unless you're counting the Lord, of course." She picked through the wardrobe, "We are only limited by our own lack of imagination, watch this." Eve grabbed the simplest of dresses and shook it, creating a backless gown that had interwoven patterns of both lace and rubies that shimmered in the light as she moved it. She shook it again and the entire gown turned into a large piece of golden fabric," What would you have me make for you, Daughter of Elijah?" She wrapped the soft material around Livianna's body and said," Imagine the dress or gown that you desire and manifest it, you are your own designer."

Livianna visualized herself in a Vera Wang red carpet dress that she had seen, changing the straps and color of the material, and imagined herself meeting Jesus in its flowing embrace. The gold began to melt and transform into Livianna's gown. Allowing her tanned back and arms to show their muscle tone and beautiful sheen.

"You're a natural, Livianna!"

"You like?" Livianna twirled in front of the mirror, watching the flames and tiger eye gems flicker and gleam in the light. Onyx and ruby encrusted heels manifested on her feet as a ruby and gold necklace appeared around her neck.

"Now you're just showing off, Daughter of Elijah. You're stunning!"

Livianna turned and faced the woman who helped her in the ocean, helped her dress, and helped her understand so much in such a small amount of time," Eve I can't thank you enough. Will I see you again?"

"We will have eternity together, daughter."