Celestia POV

Sydney came outside after a while and sat down next to me. "Your father is here." I didn't know how to answer that, was I ready to meet him? Will he like me? She continued before my thoughts could spiral more. "He was really sad he didn't know about you until now. Also, you will live with him from now on, so you have to meet him. Why not get it out of the way sooner?" I looked at her but still remained silent. She sighed "You should also know his wife is with him. They are right over there." She pointed at the window behind me and I turned to look but I couldn't see anything through it.

We went inside and the closer I got to the office the more anxious I got. This was ridiculous, I shouldn't be worrying about his opinion of me, and yet I am. As we approached the office, I saw him looking at a woman who must be his wife. I could tell he loved her. It was true love, which was really rare among humans.

Sydney introduced him to me as Mr. King, but he told me his first name. James...my father's name was James King. I never expected to know my father. Even before, when my Mom and everyone else told me my dad was a fierce warrior, my mother's mate. They praised him so much that I felt like he was something I could never become. I guess now I really can't be a warrior of Heaven fighting against evil when humans aren't strong enough to repel it on their own. Not that that was going to happen anytime soon, even if they didn't find out. I was still a baby in their eyes and they treated me like one. Here, things are different I am almost an adult by human standards.

My dad looked hopeful and so did the woman behind him. I still didn't know what to think of her, she wasn't my mother. Did she expect me to treat her like she is? She was only human, she could never compare to my Mom. I was polite nonetheless. I will find out what her motivations are in due time.

After some time spent in the office with paperwork my dad had to sign, we turned to leave. As I got to the door Sydney stopped me and gave me a piece of paper. "This is my number. Call if you need anything, and I will be coming by after some time to see how things are going. Good luck, Aurora!" She hugged me and I hurried to the car they were waiting by. We got inside and he started driving. I looked outside through the window and thought about my future.

"We can stop somewhere for food if you are hungry?" Isabella asked me. I answered, "No, thank you." They looked at each other and communicated without saying anything. They couldn't read minds, of that I was sure, but it amazed me how they could do this... just say what they felt with one look. Knowing that your soulmate will be able to understand you.

Isabella said after a while. "We will be home soon. You should know, your brothers won't be there now, but most will come back tonight." That statement put me in temporary shock. I had brothers...I wasn't alone. I always felt lonely in Heaven because I was the only one of them that hadn't lived since the beginning of time. "Brothers?" I asked.

They both looked at me in the rearview mirror and then looked at each other. My dad spoke first "Of course honey, we have three boys. Didn't Mrs. Dallas tell you?" I shook my head and stared out of the window again. I have half-siblings. I don't know how I felt about that, yet.

When we arrived at their house I stepped out of the car and gawked at the house. It was extravagant, elegant, and not at all what I expected. These people were rich...which also meant that they were probably sinners. And here I was thinking that life on Earth wouldn't be what my uncles warned me about when they were teaching me about the universe. I looked at them again, but I didn't see any signs of it. Maybe they were just good at hiding their corrupted souls from others. They wouldn't be able to hide long from me though.

I followed them inside, there was an open area in front of me that led to what looked like a kitchen on the right, which was connected to the living room. On the left was the staircase leading to the second floor. On my right was the entrance to their living room and on my left, there was a closed door. They gave me the tour. It wasn't a small house at all. It probably had more rooms than what they initially showed me.

We were on the second floor and they both stopped in front of a door. Looking at me, my father told me "We had this room cleared for you while we were at the office. It looks empty now, but you can decorate it however you like. You have a bathroom through that door, and to the left, you can see the closet. We are two doors down if you ever need anything."

"Thank you. Can I take a shower?" I wholeheartedly liked showers, they reminded me of rain. Isabella answered "Of course, sweetheart. I will get you some clean clothes for afterward... If you don't mind wearing mine for tonight and tomorrow we can get you new ones?" She looked nervously at me, waiting for my reply. Why would I mind wearing her clothing? I know evil isn't a contagion, so I don't really mind. Although I would have to repay her kindness somehow later. "I don't mind. Thank you."

I don't know how long I was in the shower, but it felt refreshing. I loved the water, but it wasn't the same as the rain, it didn't have that natural fragrance that comes from being under the clouds and feeling it thunder down on you from the heavens. I realized I wanted to dance in the rain. I will do that now that I am here permanently. I just hope it rains soon. I have never seen a storm from below. I always looked at it from Heaven and it was hauntingly beautiful, but far away. Now, I could be right under it, and I am already gleeful about it.

I got out and dressed in Isabella's clothing. I thought about going downstairs, but the bed looked really comfortable. I suddenly felt exhausted, so I just laid down and everything turned black. I must have fallen asleep, this didn't feel real. I was floating and it looked like I was still in Heaven. Was it all a dream? Am I still home?

Suddenly it felt like everything was shaking. Faceless angels surrounded me and kept repeating the same things again and again "Abomination! We will purge you from existence! Purge! Purge! Purge!" They all hated me... I started running but it was in vain because they kept appearing out of nowhere. I tripped and fell flat on my face. As I rolled over I saw my Uncle Michael swing his sword...

I woke up sweating and my chest burned like never before. I also felt the burn on my wrists and neck this time. Apparently, I am going to have nightmares every night as a human. That...sounds exhausting. I couldn't sleep even if I tried. I wondered what time it was. I looked through the window and it was dark. Looking up I saw the stars. It always amazed me how beautiful it looked from down here. I remember one of the times I visited Earth with Uncle Zachariah at night and he told me "Humans see tiny sparkling dots, but we Celestia...we see every detail even from this distance." I couldn't see everything he was talking about then. I know why now. But what I do see is beautiful nonetheless.

I decided to go look for my father, but I saw Isabella walking out of their bedroom instead. She looked at me and smiled. "Did you sleep well, sweetheart?" I just shrugged in response. Her smile faded a little at that. "Two of the boys are coming back tonight if you think you are ready to meet them..." I started to get that anxious feeling again, but she continued before I could dwell on it. "Or if you want you can sleep some more, but before that we need to change those bandages." She continued when she saw my facial expression. "I am a certified nurse and I have an EMT license. I can do it."

She thought I didn't believe she could do this task. Huh! Humans and their self-absorption. It wasn't that, the sigils still hurt and I don't think my pain tolerance is high since I never experienced it before the sigils. I would completely embarrass myself. She would think I am weak. I know that weakness can get you killed here. I heard a lot of stories from other angels. There was also something about the laws of the jungle... Even though humans evolved since that behavior was common, they still implemented it subconsciously and treated their weak as they were less.

I nodded and came back to my new bedroom. She came back a few minutes later carrying some kind of bag with supplies. First, she started unwrapping my wrists, then she removed the bandage on my neck. I was afraid to see what the sigil on my chest looked like. It really hurts, but especially at night. Maybe the pain is my punishment for even thinking about Heaven since apparently, I don't belong there.

She cleaned the wounds and observed that they were healing fast. I guess she was impressed by the healing rate, which meant I had better healing than humans. After she put new bandages on the wounds, she looked at me expectantly. She knew about the third wound. I didn't hear Sydney mentioning it to them. Isabella was patient and waited for me. It appeared I had no choice. I lifted off the shirt she gave me to wear and turned back toward her. She was clearly shocked and she couldn't hide it. Staring at me she gritted her teeth and started to peel off the big bandage on the center of my chest. Once she was done she gasped.

"Who did this sweety?" I was silent, but she wasn't going to let it go. "Did your family do this? You can tell me anything, I promise I won't tell anyone else unless your health or safety are at risk." She seemed genuine, but I still couldn't trust her. "As a mother, I would kill anyone that did this to my children. You are no exception, I took a vow and I intend to keep it. You aren't my daughter by blood, but I already consider you a part of our family. Family protects each other and that is what I will do when I find out who did this. I will protect you from them."

She thought the sigils were a bad thing, but she didn't understand. They were the only thing keeping me hidden from the angels. Without the tattoos and sigils beneath them I would be dead. I was also offended she thought my mother would hurt me. Mom loved me and I wasn't going to replace her with this human even if I never saw her again.

"You don't have to. My mother designed these tattoos for protection. With them, I will be safe. They will heal in time." I knew she wasn't convinced but she didn't argue. After changing the last bandage she left and I fell asleep once again.

The next time I woke up I felt rested. My chest didn't hurt as much now. I looked through the window and saw that the sun was setting. I was confused I thought it was night. Did I dream about my encounter with Isabella?

I left my room and started heading down the stairs, but I stopped in my tracks when I heard my name. Well, I heard my middle name, but they thought it was my first name.

"Aurora" It was a young man by the sound of it." Another male with an older voice answered "A beautiful name." I heard my father's voice next. "We will take care of the introductions later. First, we need a doctor it's not normal to be asleep for so long." Isabella was quick to assure him "Amore, we don't need to call anyone. She is exhausted and she needs the rest, it's normal after an emotional event like this. What we actually need to do is find out what happened."

Eavesdropping wasn't good, so I decided to show myself. Stepping through the living room door I looked around. There were a lot of new people there. On one side of the couch sat two young men, while the third one was sitting on the back of the couch with his legs on it. They were with their backs to me. In front of them was my father, another man, and a younger male next to him. Isabella was pacing next to the table, while an older couple was sitting on my father's right side. Isabella continued her rant, I guess she didn't notice me.

"I am so mad right now I just want to punch her. Who does this to a child? She needed protection and her mother couldn't give her anything of the sort. Instead, she tattooed her and told her that would keep her safe. Then leaves her at some stranger's house alone with only a letter explaining why she is there. What kind of parent does that? If Mrs. Dallas was anyone else, they would have taken advantage of a beautiful young girl with no background. We would have never even known she existed if that wretched woman left her in the wrong person's hands."

Oh... She was talking about my mother. A throat cleared and everyone was looking at me in the next moment. Isabella's eyes widened. She didn't want me to hear what her opinion of my mother was. She doesn't understand. None of them do. They are after all only human. I can't expect them or their feelings to be rational when they don't even have the full story...and can't comprehend most of it in the first place. If I told them I was half angel they would think I am nuts. I suppose their logic was solid, but it still angered me they thought my mother wasn't good. She was better than any of them, and yet I couldn't tell them why.

Isabella began to apologise "Aurora I am sorry..." I didn't let her finish before speaking "You have nothing to apologize for but don't talk about my mother like that again. She hasn't done anything bad. She protected and hid me. I am alive because of her, so I won't allow that kind of disrespect."

What do you think of the stepmom?

Is Aurora going to let her in or keep her at a distance?

Question of the day: What are you thankful for?