Falling From Grace

I flapped my wings from time to time, keeping myself flying at a steady level. My fluffy raven-black hair was swept back off my face, the wind-force from my speed causing it to drag behind from where it normally lay upon my forehead and shoulders. My wings, large, black and sleek, spread out to either side of me, occasionally flapping once or twice to keep me leveled but generally staying still and angled to keep me gliding swiftly through the air. My eyes were narrowed against the light, the blazing sunlight otherwise causing my eyes to water and therefore blurring my vision, while the golden, sparkling ribbon of fabric that was tied around the belt-loop of my snowy-white skin-tight trousers flapped softly along as I flew.
However, I was forced to a halt when the royal blue gem clipped to the pocket of my sleeveless jacket started to gleam brightly. Uh-oh, I thought with a roll of my eyes, What's going on this time? I just hovered there, flapping my graceful wings to keep myself level but still in the air. I closed my eyes and felt the power of the enchanted gem encase me as I allowed it to transport me to wherever I was needed.

I opened my eyes as I felt my feet land on solid flooring, to find myself in the office of the Holy One. My eyes widened in surprise, and I bowed towards God, keeping my eyes fixed on the white marble flooring of the office upon which I stood; nobody, not even us Angels, were allowed to set our gaze upon God. My heart was pounding in my chest as I awaited God's command. But he just remained silent. Am I supposed to say something? I thought, beginning to internally panic more and more the longer the silence dragged on. Oh, shit! What do I do? What am I meant to say?! However, my questions were soon answered as I saw a flash of bright purple beside me, and glanced over to see another Angel appearing beside me. I raised an eyebrow as I realised who it was. The... The Mourner? I wondered in confusion, Okay, what the fuck is going on? The second he was fully transported, The Mourner did exactly as I had - bowing down in an instant once he realised where he was. He both knelt there, our right hands over our hearts and our left hands behind us, with the back of the hand against our backs, our wings spread out to the sides. It calmed me a little, knowing that I was not here alone. Yet, at the same time, it just made me more curious as to why we were here - the only interactions that The Mourner and I had ever had was several years ago! And, in fact, we had actually been best friends, of sorts. But that was back before they were banished. After they were gone, The Mourner and I just ended up never speaking again.

"I know you are both confused as to why you are both here," the deep, booming voice began, making me completely freeze in place, as did The Mourner. "However, it is for a simple reason. Yet it is a reason I feel that neither of you will be pleased to hear about." The Mourner and I looked over at each other, sharing the same look of utter confusion. There was a large clap of thunder, showing God had seen us break pose, and so we both instantaneously went back to staring at the tiling of the floor as we listened.
"As you know, the population of our staff has become far too great recently. We had it under control for a while, by letting go of a few people..." the images of my former friends flashed through my head, causing tears to threaten my eyes as I remembered how they were now all gone, doomed to the mortal realm, never to be seen again, "...though the numbers have somehow crept back up again. Therefore, a difficult decision has been made." It suddenly dawned on me what He was talking about, and I could have sworn that my heart stopped beating for a few seconds. Time itself seemed to slow down, and the gap in His speech seemed to last an eternity. I wanted so badly to just stand up and scream 'Just say it already!' but I knew that would only make things worse for me.

"Prophet. Mourner. Your services are no longer required here."

When the words finally came out of His mouth, tears started to run down my face, though I remained silent. I couldn't bring myself to look at The Mourner, as I knew his reaction would be nothing other than on par with my own, and seeing it would only make me feel worse. I tried to stop the flow of tears as God continued speaking.
"I appreciate your services for me in Heaven, and because of this, I shall let you continue your existence." My heart skipped a beat. He was just demoting us, but letting us stay in Heaven! I wasn't doomed to the mortal world like so many countless others! I was going to be okay!
"Hereby, you are sentenced to spend the rest of your mortal lifespan on Earth."

I didn't even have time to react, as the floor dropped out from beneath me. The Mourner and I plunged into a pit of darkness, and I screamed at the top of my lungs, willing someone or something to save me from this damnation. Nothing did. Though, after a few seconds of falling, I was stopped mid-fall by something grabbing my wings. He changed his mind! I thought in ecstasy, He wants me to stay! Oh, how wrong I was. I was jerked up and down, straining the joints of my wings. Tears threatened my eyes and I exclaimed in pain as I felt my sleek black feathers be ripped from my wings in the process. I could feel my flesh begin to tear at the joint, and I could feel warm, sticky liquid running down my back while also soaking into my jacket. I felt the joints of my wings pop and dislocate, causing me to scream in utter agony. Eventually, all that was left was the joint holding my wings to my body, connecting my wings to my shoulder blades either side of my upper spine. With one more mighty jerk, there was a loud CRACK! sound, followed by pain beyond words flooding throughout my whole body, and I once again started to fall. Tears ran down my face and then dissipated into the air as I fell head-first into the pit of what seemed like complete nothingness. I could see The Mourner falling in a similar fashion, though I think he was actually unconscious. I closed my icy-blue eyes and prepared myself for my first experience in the human world. I would never be in Heaven again until I die. That was it...

I was a Fallen Angel.

Notes