10 Days of Prompts Day 1

2/21/2017


She shook her head in disbelief, wringing her hands together. Rage began to surge through her, white-hot in her veins.
"That can't be right! I was just- I mean I... Look at me, I'm here aren't I?"
"The book doesn't lie my dear and it says-"
"I don't care what your book says! There has to be a mistake, please just... Just check again or something."
The man behind the podium sighed and gestured to someone behind him. They moved to his side quickly. The new comer had wings of a vibrant white, tufts of fluffy down belying his young age. The girl lit up with renewed hope.
"Oh thank god maybe you can help, I need-"
The man raised his hand to cut her off.
"Go get Pirrah. Tell him I have a particularly aggressive soul that won't leave."
"Particularly aggressive? Excuse the fuck outta you old man!"
The young angel's face was a mixture of sympathy and worry. It was a welcomed contrast to the man absolute disinterest.
"Now boy."
"Yes Peter."
The angel flew off as quickly as he could his awkward flaps leaving behind feathers and down. The girl watched him go with a growing feeling of dread. Pirrah didn't sound much like the name of a gentle customer service rep.
"Could you step to the side please? There are other people behind you that actually require my attention."
The girl hesitated for a moment unsure of what she should do. Looking at the ever growing line behind her filled with countless souls and crea- beings she couldn't believe existed. Embarrassment colored her features as it dawned on her that they'd been there for the entire exchange.
"I'm really not in the mood to tell you again Girl, out of the line."
Cowed, the girls stepped to the side and watched Peter quickly sort through dead. She couldn't help the small swell of resentment as people filed past the golden gates of Heaven. Even as they argued about going to Hell, begging and bargaining, in the end they got to go somewhere. She watched for what felt like hours as people were freed from perdition or reunited with long dead loved ones, every moment draining the fight from her.
"She doesn't look very combative Peter."
The voice was mere inches from her ear. Blinking herself awake she quickly whirled around to find its source. Kind sea green eyes met hers.
"Now what seems to be the problem here?"
"You know boy I sent you for Pirrah, not Seraquil."
"I'm here Peter, Seraquil simply has a penchant for going where he isn't needed."
The girl decided that she'd been correct, because if that other person was Pirrah he was not someone you called for a peaceful solution. The angel named Seraquil smiled brilliantly at Pirrah.
"I only go where I am needed Pirrah. Now what seems to be the problem here Peter?"
"The problem," He began through clenched teeth, pointing at the girl. "is that she isn't in my book."
Pirrah sighed. "You called me here because of an early soul? Wipe her memory of this place and send her back."
Peter threw up his hands in frustration.
"You elitist fuckin'- No! She's not here as in she isn't in my book. She never died, because she never lived, because she was never born!"
"That's not true!" The girl interrupted. Seething with rage she advancing on Peter.
"I was born June 25th, I grew up in Tallahasse, attended school at an all-girls academy in Georgia- no wait I was born on August 30th in Lucca ... Or maybe it was July 10th in Shinjuku and I was home schooled?"
The harder she grasped at moments in her life the more clouded her mind became, until she felt sluggish and dizzy. Tears welled up in her eyes as she turned back to Seraquil with honest confusion in her eyes.
"Please, you have to believe me, I was real, I remember, I just can't focus."
Seraquil placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
"It's okay. Take a deep breath, can you remember your name?"
Panic welled up inside her for a moment before she nodded.
"My name is Veda, Veda Rowan."
Pirrah shook his head, smugly resting a hand on his sword belt.
"That is a very poorly contrived fake name, even for," He gestured to Veda "you."
Pointedly ignoring him, Seraquil turned to Peter.
"Please, humor me, and check again."
Peter rolled his eyes and sighed. He opened his book again and flipped through his it once more; millions of names, both sinful and virtuous passing through his gaze. Not a single one of them hers.
"Shall I check once more?"
Seraquil shook his head.
"Please, I-I remember my life... bits of it. I know I was real, that I lived, because I remember how I died."
"Oh and how was that?" Pirrah asked.
"I was murdered."
The angels paused and Peter rubbed his temples.
"She can't stay here and we can't send her back, there's no record of her. And without any record, she can't be judged, the only thing to do is send her to purgatory."
Seraquil shook his head and took Veda by the hand, leading her towards Heaven
"No, I'll take it from here Peter, thank you for trying."
Pirrah grabbed Seraquil's arm and whirled him around.
"Where in blazes do you think you're going? You know the rules."
Seraquil pulled his arm from Pirrah's grip.
"Yes I do and better than you it seems. I'm taking her to Kathel and then I'm gonna get a throne."