Genesis: Falling Angel (24 page)

Epilogue

In the distance, one could see the tiny town forming down the hill.

A girl sat on top of the hill in front of a small house. The house was made entirely of wood salvaged from the rubble of a once great city, one that had been destroyed many years before her time. Her father spoke of it with some remorse. He said that it had been a luxurious place, full of people that were slaves to sin. The girl knew that sins were bad, but she somewhat wished to see the city. She’d heard of the beautiful garden it held, of the libraries filled with books from the time before the time of the great, wicked cities.

She plucked a flower from the ground. Another girl walked up from behind her. She knew it was her cousin even before she was picked up. Her cousin looked like s
he was somewhere around eighteen, which was eleven years older than the girl, though the girl knew better. Her cousin had shiny, black eyes and long red hair. Sometimes, when the girl was good, her cousin would take her high up into the clouds.

“Ruth,” the girl said, tugging at her cousin’s hair.

Ruth winced. “What?” she said in her calm, cool voice. The girl liked Ruth’s voice very much.

“When will we fly again?”

“We will soon. Don’t want to worry your mother again, though.”

The girl’s mother worried a lot, though it seemed like her father worried more. They were both beautiful in the girl’s eyes. They both looked so young and so happy together.

The girl’s mother was waiting for them upon their return. She held the girl’s younger brother, though she set him down as the two girls approached. She smiled warmly, lowering herself to the girl’s level. “Come here, Eve,” she whispered.

Eve darted to her mother, who carried her inside. Her father was sitting at the table in their dining room, speaking to a stranger. The stranger had short, brown hair and orange eyes that gleamed with mischief. He wore a smirk on his face that quickly faded when he saw Eve.

The two stared at each other for only a moment before her father stood up. “That’s quite enough,” he told the stranger. “Take your eyes off of her and get out of my sight. I will not negotiate with you.”

“You used to be so much fun,” the stranger said lazily. “What happened?”

“My wife happened. I’m not interested in your version of fun. Now get out.”

The stranger held up his hands in a gesture of defeat and walked out the door, locking eyes one last time with Eve. She knew he was bad, and that was all that mattered. She clung tightly to her mother.

Once the stranger had left, her mother set her down on the floor. Ruth followed closely behind, holding Eve’s brother, Adam. Once released from her grip, he crawled to his father, who lifted him with a sigh.

“I’ve never felt the years slip away before. It’s something, isn’t it?” he marveled.

Eve’s mother smiled. “It is. We’re blessed to have such progression.”

“I want to hear a story,” Eve said. Outside, it was getting dark. Ruth closed the door and locked it.

“Not now, Eve,” her father chided. To her mother, he said, “Noah should be arriving tomorrow. I received word from him this morning.” Ruth seemed pleased at the information. Eve was pleased as well. She loved Uncle Noah. “Morrigan and Flint have sent word, though nothing new to report. Restoration is not picking up in speed.”

“A story,” Eve demanded.

“Did I ever tell you about the time I fought a werehyena?”

“No, you haven’t told her, Adrian, and you won’t,” her mother scolded.

“You spoil everything, Gabrielle,” he replied grimly.

“What about how you met mommy?” Eve asked.

Her parents shared a glance that clearly meant the story was out of the question. One day, Eve would know everything. She knew the strangers that visited her father were bad, and that her father protected them. She knew that her mother had once belonged to a place high above, but she knew so little, and it frustrated her.

She’d seen things before.
She’d seen Ruth’s wings, for instance. She’d seen strange things moving within the forest. At night, she saw tiny moving lights that danced far too much to be fireflies. The men and women that spoke with her father all held the same dead look in their eyes. She’d heard howls that made her father stay up all night, sharpening a knife while he stared out over the land. The truth of the world was within Eve’s reach, but she failed to grasp it.

Her mother was writing in a large, blank book. “What’s that, mommy?” she asked.

“You’re too curious, sometimes,” her mother said, though not unkindly.

“Reminds you of someone, doesn’t it?” her father chided.

Gabrielle arched an eyebrow. “If I recall, my curiosity led us to where we are today.”

“I think it was my good looks, personally.”

Gabrielle smiled and shook her head. “Please, Adrian.”

Eve always wondered what they were talking about. She knew nothing of the time before except the tiny snippets she pulled from her father. She knew there were seven cities, that things besides humans existed
out in the open, and that her parents had saved the world.

Her father was reading from a large book, turning the pages carefully. He’d claimed the book once burned
him, but the pain had ended years ago. He liked to read it often as he enjoyed that he was capable of doing so.

Gabrielle turned to Eve. “I’ve started a book so that no one will forget. Your father and I are writing down as much as we remember. When you’re older, I’ll let you read it.”

Eve wanted to read it then, but she would wait. She would be mature enough soon. “Daddy, can you read from the first book?”

Her father nodded, flipping the pages back. Eve listened as he read of the first creation. In the distance, she heard a howl that rose into the night air and made her shiver. The lights would be dancing outside. Dark figures would fly in front of the moon. Nightmares would try to invade her sleep.

Eve was not afraid. There was nothing to be afraid of. She was loved. She was happy. She was safe from the evils that lurked outside. Though this lack of fear made her curious, and her parents knew that a day would come when their curious child knew the truth. A day would come when their child would want to see the horrors hidden in the new world.

Humanity was rebuilding its towns and itself. They were rising from the ashes, praising their creator for the victory over the wi
cked things that had once ruled the earth. They had turned their backs on God, but they had turned around and worshipped him.

Gabrielle put her hand over her husband’s, causing him to pause in his reading. “I love you,” she said.

“I love you, too,” he replied. The two gazed at each other. Ruth played with Adam. Eve stared out the window, wondering what the world held in store for her. There was darkness in the two worlds before hers, and there would always be darkness. She could still see the light, and that was all that mattered. She still had her faith.

She looked to her parents once more. She traced the scar across her mother’s throat with her eyes. Her father said something softly while reaching to run his fingers over it. Her mother smiled, gently taking his hand in her own. Eve had never seen two people more in tune, more in love.

Even so, there were problems: her father’s ability to heal at an alarming rate, her mother’s ability to heal the scrapes Eve came to her with, her father’s strangely powerful voice that she could never argue with, and her mother’s habit of bluntly telling the truth no matter what the situation was. Yes, her parents were strange.

Eve gazed out the window once more. Yes
, faith was all that mattered.

About the Author

Genesis: Falling Angel
is Keily Arnold’s first novel. She has been writing for many years, dreaming of the day when she would finally publish her own novel. After many half-finished projects, she found success in
Genesis: Falling Angel
. She is currently working on several projects.

She lives in Chattanooga, Tennessee with her family.

For updates on future book projects or to ask the author any questions you may have on the book, follow her on twitter at
www.twitter.com/KeilyArnold