Mission of an Angel

Valencia sat fearfully in the boat. She was sailing in a one-man barrel up a room that was flooded with water. Bijou called out to her.1

"Val, be careful! They are my parents after all!" Bijou exclaimed as Valencia knocked into the long block that stretched for hundreds miles in the centre of the room. She furiously swung over to the left, shouting over the rushing sound of the waves.2

"Its difficult to control these stupid things!" she yelled back to where Bijou was, a couple of metres or so behind her. The mission was pointless. One minute they had been on the beach, and then they were on these barrel boats trying to find the end of the massive grave that held the two guardian angels of the world. “And I still don’t understand. I thought your mother died ages ago!” she added, but Bijou’s response was lost as a particularly violent wave crashed over her, stinging her eyes.3

Valencia swerved again to the left, as the current took her dangerously close to the angels. The boys were up ahead, she could see them calling but no sound could be heard over the rushing water, they seemed to have stopped. Lewis charged back against the current, and it was a while before Valencia realised that the paintings that adorned the elaborate marble walls were higher than before.4

"The water levels gone down, and so has the grave! You'd better go Bijou," said Edward calmly coming up to them. Valencia made a move to follow her, as Bijou moved towards the grave, but Lewis put a sweaty hand on her shoulder. She shrugged it off, and sat on her boat in the water that was now swishing around just above her ankles. They waited for what seemed like an age, Lewis started to fidget first, and Valencia and Edward glanced at each other in exasperation. It seemed hours before Bijou appeared from the other side of the great block and closed her eyes before turning away. Edward went over to her and spoke to her in a low voice. She stopped him as the great room rumbled, and a great white angel rose out of the block as though there were nothing there. Her hair was pale golden and bobbed around her chin, her clothes were dazzling white and her eyes of the deepest blue. She bore no resemblance to the olive skinned, dark haired Bijou.5

Valencia and the others backed up against the wall, but Bijou moved forwards. There were silent tears dripping down her cheeks that seemed to sparkle silver instead of clear. The Angel rose out of the casket and turned to face her daughter. Suddenly the room seemed much smaller. The block was just 100m long and the end of the hall seemed quite near. The angel leant forwards and spoke to Bijou in a low voice that none of them could hear. Bijou gave a tear stained nod.6

"M... Mum says you need to go back. This is something I have to do... On my own."7

The boys nodded and headed back for the boats. The water was clam, and there was a thin current that led back to the beach that they could see in the distance. Valencia paused, there were so many things she needed to say. Bijou gave her a push.8

"Go on Val. You can't stay here you don't belong." she said, her voice just starting to break.9

"But... What's going on? What's going to happen?" Valencia said softly, tears fell from her cheeks as well.10

"I'll be OK. I'm with my family now. Remember me back in the real world..."11

Valencia stumbled back to the boats. Her mind awash with thoughts she barely registered the ten-minute journey home. They passed Zo&#;s home on the beach where she stood outside with Nathaniel. She waved bleakly at them, but it was when she was at the end of the hall that the real though broke in. She was never going to see her best friend again. Bijou was with the Angels now.12

Jerking from her daydream, she rose with the congregation to say a last prayer, mourning the loss of a sister, daughter, granddaughter, and last of all friend.13