Saving Grace

David

The sun was setting, casting shadows on the ground as David waved goodbye to his friends and went inside the apartment building. Taking the stairs two at a time, he stops as he recognizes the girl he knocked out of the way of the truck earlier. She smiles and waves to him as he slows down and stares at her a moment.





"Are you lost, Miss?" He asks, scratching at the back of his head nervously.





"No David, I am not lost. I am taking care of Mary Jane while her mother is at work. She is in bed sleeping as you should have been hours ago. Does your uncle know where you have been?" She admonishes. David's face colors as his features transforms from suprise and curiiosity to rebel with a cause. His eyes burn with anger and his fists ball up at his sides.





"Who cares what my uncle thinks? He is not my father. I am only using his roof until I can get out on my own." He replies, pushing past Sera forcefully. She frowns, crossing her arms and turns to call out to David's retreating back.





"David, people still care about you. Even if you dislike your uncle, he still loves you and wants the best for you." Sera turns to go back to Mary Jane's apartment. David whips around, and moves to her quickly grabbing her arm and turning her around.





"Who are you anyway Why do you think you know me? Just leave me alone." His eyes bore into hers, and he is frightened by the depths of her cyrstal blue penetrating stare. She wasn't even frightened of him, and she didn't even try to get away.





"I told you David. I am here because Lianna sent me. I will not go away until my promise to her is fulfilled." Sera reminds him. The mention of David's sister penetrates him like a bullet. he releases Sera and turns away and opens the door to his apartment.





"My sister is dead." he shuts the door quietly. Sera could hear the sound of another person moving in the apartment.





"David, Do you know how late it is? Where have you been?" His uncle asked from the darkness. "David, talk to me David!" Sera shakes her head and goes to check on Mary Jane. David was indeed a troubled soul, this was going to be a lot more work than she originally thought.





David flopped onto his bed, turning on his radio and staring at the picture of his sister on the wall. Everything was so dim without the spark of her life to brighten it. Why had that girl been so insistant that Lianna had sent her? When David had heard his uncle's door shut again, he got up and began changing his clothes. Jake and Moak had been his friends since David had come to live with his uncle after his parents died. They showed him how to survive as a kid in the city, how to stay out of scraps bigger than he could handle, and how to move around in the city's tranist system. In return, all he had to do was lend a hand from time to time. They listened to him, they understood him like no one else could. Tonight it was his turn to lead an activity. David reached for a wallet when a hand touched his.





"Don't go, David." the female voice asked softly. David jerks his hand back like it was on fire. It was that girl again!





"WHAT THE HELL," David lowers his voice, not wanting to wake his uncle again. "What the hell are you doing in my room. How did you get in here?"





"I was not aware you were suffering from memory loss. I told you why I was here, and I won't leave until I accomplish my goal. If you go out tonight, something bad will happen." Sera replies, moving to the window to look outside. Something was out there, something that young men could not handle.





"I told you, Lianna is dead. She is in Heaven, at least she should be, she deserves that much." David looks for his hoodie, he isn't quite convinced that this girl is right in the head. "Since you won't go away, who are you?"





"I am Sera, and angel. Your sister almost didn't cross into Heaven. She was concerned about you. It is my duty to see that the child crossed. After I promised her to look in on you, she crossed over. So here I am"





"You are saying," David chuckles to keep himself from getting mad again. "You are saying you helped my little sister cross over. You are a sick girl."





"Sera" she corrects.





"Sera, you are sick" David repeats as he advances on her. "How old was she?"





"Eight" Sera answers.





David crosses over to the wall and covers the picture. "What did she look like?"





"She had loose blonde curls, and fair skin with a sattering of light freckles, and green eyes. She had a circle shaped birthmark under her left arm. Her full name was Lianna Rose Shaunnessy."Sera said, watching David's emotions change on his face.





"Anyone could have known that stuff." David sniffed, moving his hand down from the picture slowly. "If you are who you say you are, what was Lianna's last words to me?"





Sera closed her eyes, concentrating on the words.





"Ha! You don't know do you?" David smirked.





"Patience, David, is a virtue." Sera Smiled. "Your sister's last words to you were to not blame God for her death and the death of your parents. I think that was what she said." Sera recites as David's face pales and he watches Sera with suspicious eyes.





"You, you're really an angel?" He squeaked. "Where is  the holy nimbus of light, the halo, and the wings?" he looks real hard to see if he can see anything.





"I really am an angel, David. In  your current state, if you were to see my holy aspect, you would not survive the experience. I was sent to help you, so here I am." Sera says, her brows creasing as she keeps a steady eye on the window and what lay beyond it.





"Did she make you pinky swear?" David asks softly, bringing Sera's attention back to him.





"Excuse me?" Sera asks.





"Pinky swear. When she makes you shake with a pinky finger. It is called pinky swearing." David explained.





"Oh. Yes, she made me pinky swear. I have so much to learn about Earth." Sera asnwers.





"Lianna always made people pinky swear. So, are you my guardian angel or something?" David asked with a resigned sigh of someone who has had athority flouted over him alot.





"Honestly? No, I am not your Guardian angel. I am not even Guardian angel class at all. I am an angel of the Apocolypse. I carry one of the horns that will be blown to transform this world. I was on gate duty. To be truthful, I don't even have clearance to be down here. You have had quite a few Guardians though. I am not sure where they go off to though." Sera answers candidly.





"So, how many have I had? And how come I couldn't see them like I see you?" David pressed, suddenly very curious about his state of affairs in Heaven.





"You have had eight angels and your replacement hasn't been sent yet. As for seeing me, I haven't been trained in how to remain unseen by others. Besides, I think it is better that I have direct contact with you anyway." Sera answers, glad that David is interested in his future.





"So, the other ones gave up on me and left and all i get is an untrained angel of destruction to help me?" David rolls over on his bed and sticks a pill over his head.





"I didn't say they gave up. It is not within our nature to give up. You have had eight angels assigned to you and they have disappeared. They are missing. They have to be on Earth somewhere, they are certainly not in Heaven." Sera corrects, tugging at the pillow until he releases it.





"So what will happen to me?" David asked.





"I don't know. I can stay with you until a repacement arrives. I am staying at Mary Jane's during the day so her mother can work." David sighs, but Sera doesn't give him time to be sullen. "My primary job is you. Mary Jane has a Guardian angel."





"Sure, whatever. I am going to sleep now. Are you gonna watch me all night long?" David asked, hsi face turning red.





"No. I will stand guard at your window while you sleep." Sera replied. "I will make you a deal. Teach me about Earth living and I will teach you about angels and my real job."





"If that is what you want. I can do that." David yawns as he kicks off his shoes and slides under the covers. "Is your real name Sera?"





"No. I have not earned a name yet. I would be nameless were I back at the Gates. I made up a name because Mary Jane needed a name for me so she could trust me."





David seems satisfied with that. "Good night Sera." he says as his eyes close slowly. Within moments he is sleeping soundly and Sera looks out the window.





Looking back at David, she phases through the window effortlessly and then jumps down into the gathering black mass she had been watching from the window.


It squirmed and screeched in unearthly tones beneath her grasp. She forced it to look at her. It's demonic phase twisted and contorted as it was forced togaze at her holy presence.





"This boy is protected. Why do you gather at this house, Leshti?" Sera asked in the celestial tongue, her eyes blazing with fury. The demon's name had come easily to her, as all names did.





"You" it hissed, not sure what power it was facing. "You are not a Guardian. Don't you have business elsewhere?"





"What I am doing here is not your concern. Why are You here?"Sera lifted it high in the air and pulled her sword and brought it close to the demon.





"I was sent to make a deal with him. Frogive me, holy mistriss, I am only a lowly demon." it hissed, writhing in pain as her holy touch started to burn him.





"Go away from here with your life. Tell your master this soul is not his to claim." She dropped the demon and watched it skitter away. She flew back to David's window and phased back through to continue her vigilant watch. Sera was not sure why a demon would be interested in David. He was not a major evil. He did not cultivate it, fester in it, or breed it. As the night moved on, Sera Began to think that her coming down here was more than a young girl's plea.