Chapter 3: Child of God.
Once the shock of her nightmare was wiped away from her, Ebony returned with a clear head. She took her mother aside and was prepared to bombard her with questions that the two would have a difficult time remembering. She was determined to scrape her brain for pieces of the past in order to reminisce with her mother. Making up for lost time was what she was desperate for. "Do you recall what it was like when I was a child?" She asked the gorgeous being before her as what she got in response was a head tilt. Raven's deep, ocean eyes were glimmering with captured sunlight.
The waves were rocking to a blissful symphony, hardly washing along the shore of her pupils. "Are you asking for a specific time in your life or if I remember a certain event?" She lightly retaliated with her own question as Ebony had to dig inside herself. She was indecisive about which she craved to hear about more than the other. Her hands would have greedily snatched them both up if the offer was on the table.
"Either or, I don't mind. I want to hear what you know and hold close."
She spoke the truth as Raven patted at her hand. "I actually have one that would make you cringe if you could." She chuckled while her attention was fixated elsewhere. Before she could react or ask for a further meaning, a ball of light was forming in between her mother's raised hands. She was harvesting the energy of illusion and enough to where the two could bask in it. Stilling herself and holding her breath, she awaited for what was to come. She held little knowledge to the true powers angels possessed.
The intensity of the light grew until it escaped Raven's fingertips and hovered a few inches above them. Enveloping itself with what her mother chose to show her, the ball was transforming into a hazy scene. It was almost like a quivering mirror struggling to regain its' purpose. With each second that passed, the clarity was being sharpened until the image was crystal clear. She leaned back onto her elbows to get a proper view as her mother followed suit. A smile was already creeping its' way onto her face and spreading to her cheeks. Curious for what was in store, Ebony watched carefully as the memory unfolded.
She was soon staring at the child version of herself. She watched as the little girl's petite fingers were barely able to hold onto her mom's hand. "Come on, mommy!" She pulled her everywhere she went around the house, clearly pleased that her mother followed without having to be asked. She sprawled out on the floor with a group of her toys and told tales that her imagination created. Amongst the toys was her favorite Barbie doll without a pair of pants to cover her lower half, a teal dinosaur, a teddy bear and a Beanie Baby that had lost one of its' eyes. She handed the dinosaur to her mother as she cleared her throat dramatically.
"Oh, please. Sir. Tricera, I have to get through! I'm getting married today." She pleaded through the pretend voice of her Barbie doll, throwing her arms about in a haphazard manner. Raven stifled a giggle at her daughters' antics afore joining in on the fun.
"I'm sorry, princess. I was told to keep you here until your ceremony was over. You know your father doesn't want you to marry this man."
"But I love him! Doesn't daddy want me to be happy?" She pouted and tried with all her might to cross Barbie's arms, only to end up unsuccessful. Her mother brushed this flaw aside as though it hadn't made an appearance.
"He wants you to be happy, but he wants you to remember that you'll be his little girl for the rest of your life." Ebony's face was scrunched out of confusion as her mother managed to break character towards the end, cutting her accent short as she released the toy. If only she had acknowledged the connotation behind these intentional mistakes rather than assuming her mom was ruining her entertainment.
She crossed her arms and groaned as her mother sat the dinosaur aside. Only pretending to ignore her, she started brushing through Barbie's hair recklessly. When she looked up, Raven was watching her with a proud expression. Her eyes revealed the admiration she had for her young one. She had enough love in her for her daughter to fill all the lakes in the world. Without so much as a warning or a single peep, she was snatching Ebony into her arms. "I love you."
She whispered endlessly as her voice never wavered or weakened. "Ugh, gross!" Ebony proclaimed as she was covered in kisses and drowning in Raven's coos. Lipstick stains smeared across her ivory skin, causing her to squeal. While she couldn't understand the depths of her love, she could remember feeling it as a child.
"Come on, booger. We have to get you to bed. You've got school early in the morning."
Despite knowing that her mother was aware of the fact she was awake, her daughter went limp and let her eyes close. She even let out a pretend snore that lasted about as long as her charade. She couldn't erase the silly grin that was causing her lips to twitch. She giggled whenever she felt her mother tickling at her stomach and wrapped her small arms around her neck, hugging her tight. She was a drama queen and one that was obsessed with her mom. She missed her when she was at school, asleep or in another room.
"Which one do you want me to read tonight?" Raven asked her as she tucked her into her bed. She bent down to plant a kiss against her temple before retracting from the position.
"Goodnight moon." She ordered sleepily and rubbed at her weary eyes. Her mother took the book from its' shelf and joined her on the bed. She nestled into her before opening the cover and beginning to read.
She ran her fingers through her long hair in between pages before sighing happily, love oozing out of every gaze that met with her daughters'. Her favorite books were those with the typical happy endings. Raven couldn't describe the amount of joy that brought her. It wasn't long before the story was coming to an end and Ebony wasn't ready to face sleep. She needed more time with the other. "Again, again!" She exclaimed, despite her mother finishing the story for the third time that night.
She laughed and snuggled in closer to the older female, rubbing her hands together to get herself ready for the same paragraphs she had heard not even five minutes ago. This earned her a laugh from her mom as she was amused by her daughters' enthusiasm. Though instead of paying attention to the words on the page, she was sneaking glances at her mother as her lips spread into an adoring smiled. Somehow, her voice was more comforting than what she picked out to read. She drifted to sleep in the way she preferred - to the sound of her mother speaking.
As the movie came to a close, Raven was already gazing at Ebony the way she had when she was a toddler. "How long have you had this one stored?" She asked, rather than getting sentimental. She could sense her heart strings pulling and bending from the mesmerizing picture. Her mother's love for her was not lost now that she was grown. She could see it in every glance or smile and hear it whenever she talked to her. Her mother didn't appear to be offended if she was as she was piecing together how she should respond.
"When you fulfill your duties here on Heaven, you are granted with precious memories, but only the ones that brought you happiness. If you are plagued with the opposite, that's because the Devil is attempting to taunt you. He wants your fleshly desires to return - he wants your hope to be crushed. He will bring up anything he's able to, to have you betray our God." Ebony absorbed the information she was given, soaking it up easily. Faithfulness returned to her what was properly hers. She could gather her joyous recollections with her mother as long as she was steady in her loyalty.
"Am I able to start as soon as possible?" She questioned once more as her mother simply nodded. She presumed that it wasn't what she had needed or longed to hear. She did not act disappointed, though her lack of response wasn't convincing. "Hey, we'll have plenty of time together. An eternity is what you told me." She spoke lightheartedly as her mother even laughed.
"It isn't that, sweetheart, it's that you haven't changed a bit. You're always rushing in as fast as you can go and I admire that about you." Raven complimented as her daughter held out her hand. She took it as the two stood, lucky enough to be reunited. As Ebony confronted God about pursuing her responsibilities, she realized that His plan for her was not to relax. She had minutes to spend with her mother, though her morale was faltering. It appeared as though she had been lied to. His words had contradicted themselves.
Her schedule was not as easygoing as she would have liked, but she was determined to collect her past memories. She was chosen to carry out the duties picked for her with undying allegiance. She had already earned herself a pair of white wings with the smoothest surface that she had ever felt. She was put to work as soon as possible. Her time with her mother was withering away as she was constantly being the intermediary between God and humanity. The moment she had crossed over from death, her beauty could only be described as extraordinary. Her presence was illuminated with a faint light, outlining the shape of her body.
A badge had appeared on her robe, taking her by surprise. This could only be due to her faithfulness or so she assumed. She appeared to humans through dreams or visions, displaying a prophecy that would soon take place in their lives. To the grieving, healing hearts, she would soothe them with dreams of their loved ones or a time in which their lives weren't so miserable. Giving them a false hope, if you will, but those were her orders. Physical interaction was possible, though her figure remained invisible all the while. She had to protect her identity at all costs.
She could leave a lingering touch, a shove in the right direction, or save them from dying before their destiny was fulfilled. Each and every human had a purpose - one of her responsibilities involved showing that to them however she chose to. She was called to carry out God's tasks for both the Heavenly and earthly realm. She played a part in the army of God, defending the kingdom of Heaven and all of its' inhabitants. When it came to the humans, she was to portray God's serenity, unconditional love, acceptance, hope and even judgment to the sinners who needed the reminder that they were doing wrong. She was also able to manifest the energy of God in dire times or when she deemed it necessary, though it exhausted her other abilities. Before she was called to the next family, she was being paged by God Himself.
"Ebony, I have to speak with you briefly afore you set out. I am proud of your dedication and how you have proved yourself in such a short amount of time. However, this next family will be a test that I pray you will pass. I have no doubt about you and you have certainly earned a break, though this is vital. We will be wishing you luck as you descend." She firmly nodded as the clouds separated for her to spiral down towards earth. With her pure wings cooperating with the wind, she had completed her arrival in what seemed like seconds.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone