Volatile

PART I

CHAPTER 1

GENESIS

T

O SAY I DESERVED SUCH A FATE WOULD BE A LIE. Then again, my "fate" was more of a curse than a blessing. Choosing to leave everything I knew and had worked to achieve for an unknown future might have seemed like a rash decision to some. Yet, it made complete sense to me at the time. I've always been one to follow my heart and cast logic aside. With this attitude, I've gotten further than I should've, but it was also the cause of my fall.

      * * *

"He loves me.? He loves me not.?" I plucked a petal from a violet tulip. It sailed down to the brass stars embedded in the black terrazzo pavement. A cool mid-April breeze caressed the hairs along my dark-copper arms and rattled the steel barricades lining the congested street. The scent of burnt pretzels laced with car exhaust fumes permeated the evening air.

An orchestral film score echoed in my ears muting the ring of bells from shop doors opening and closing. The rhythm and red evening sky filled my mind with images of my acting career launching me to stardom. My chances of fame were as slim, as was the likelihood of meeting Claudius in person.

He was an angel I had been in contact with for the last three years through visions.

Yet despite my doubts, here I was headed to Griffith Park believing that he would show. Glancing down at my phone, I reread the text message he'd sent that morning.

Dear Maricel,

"You're probably wondering when we're going to meet. After all these years and still you have yet to know me in the flesh. The time is now. Tonight at a quarter to seven, I shall arrive. Keep looking up. Change is afoot."

-Your Guide, Claudius

I glanced upward and saw people shoving one another to get into a crowded nightclub. Avoiding eye contact with anyone coming and going in, I picked up the pace. In my attempt to distance myself, I'd failed to notice a tall man jostled by his intoxicated friend. His broad back collided with my chest. I tumbled to the sidewalk beneath him, my headphones falling from my ears. He lifted himself off me, stealing a quick glance with beady hazel eyes. A half smile spread across his brick-shaped face. The two men exchanged glances, shrieking with laughter. The stench of stale liquor and cigarette smoke lingered on their breath and they scurried away.

Squaring my shoulders, I ignored the snickering spectators and scooped up the withered flower and tangled earbuds.

"Just great," I said to myself, staring at the cracked phone screen and stuffed it in my jeans pocket. It seemed that I was always getting caught in the senseless cruelty of careless people. Pushing the incident to the back of my mind, I lied to myself that everything was fine.

The thud of heavy footsteps pulled me to a stop, and the tulip slipped from my hand. I snapped around with my fingers curled into fists, but there was no one there.

"Maricel, Maricel, Maricel." A guttural whisper seemed to ricochet off the walls of the buildings, lamp poles and palm trees.

Quickening my pace, I struggled to keep up with the ebb and flow of pedestrians, and their fleeting glance. In the corner of my eye, a dark shadow slipped from my field of view. A shrill buzz rang out, vibrating throughout my eardrums. I cupped my ears to block the frequency.

As fast as the sound had intruded upon my thoughts, there was silence. Removing my hands from my ears, I continued plodding along until I reached Griffith Park.

With a deep breath, I scrolled through text messages to see if I had any new ones, but there was nothing after the earlier text.

The glowing Hollywood sign seated on the peak of Mount Lee towered overhead. I messaged the number back to inform Claudius I had arrived for our meeting. Seconds later the text returned invalid. Gaping at the number, it dawned on me. It was 1111, a numeric pattern meaning that angels are present.

My heart knocked against my chest with a mix of fascination and dread. Could it really be him? He was my guiding voice, my guardian. If not for the encouraging words on all the cards he had sent me I would never have had the courage to pursue a career in acting.

Several minutes passed and no one appeared. Maybe I had been stood up, or worse, a band of criminals had led me here to mug me of my meager possessions.

A single flash of light streaked across the smoggy night sky. I hoped it wouldn't storm. Rain was the last thing I wanted, although drought-stricken California could use the water. With no one to greet me but the hissing cicadas, I turned to leave. If he was ten minutes late then he wasn't coming. It was clear that this planned meeting was nothing more than a cruel joke, and I hated myself for believing for a small second that angels were real. Even worse, I had believed in the idea of love.

A white orb of light fell to the Earth like a shooting star. Hypnotized by the sight, I bolted up the hiking trail after it and collapsed. Brushing the dirt off my sleeves, I sprang up and darted uphill.

The ground vibrated as the orb of light formed into a being crouched on his haunches, blocking me from moving forward. I fell on my face at his feet. Large black wings cloaked his countenance. He stood and extended his wings.

When he looked at me, my eyes stung from his brightness. A violent gust of wind encircled him, whipping back my raven hair. He wore a dark-cerulean overcoat adorned with Hebrew inscriptions that matched his lapis lazuli-colored eyes. His golden spirals fell upon his muscled shoulders rippling around the sculpted outlines of his square face.

He stood more than a head taller than me, and he offered his bloodless hand. I stared at it for an entire minute before accepting his invitation. When our skin met, a sharp current of electricity shot through my veins and I bucked. Startled by the sting of his touch I withdrew my throbbing hand. I gazed at his large palm still outstretched almost as if he expected me to try again.

Biting back the pain, I closed my eyes, and gripped his hand once more. This time our fingers interlocked, and the pain subsided as I stood up.

"Maricel-" His voice erupted like thunder.

"Claudius-" I said. Everything came together like a jigsaw puzzle. He cupped his hands together as if holding something. Within his palms, a red flame formed. It rose out of them and morphed into a spiral of energy. When he spun around, he hoisted me off my feet, pulling me close to him. We rose above the terrain.

"I'm going to take you to where it all began."

"Are you sure about this?" I asked. He ignored my question and clutched me tighter. I buried my head into the soft fabric of his wool t-shirt. His skin smelled of fresh sandalwood like the warm scent of the Earth's pigments upon the heated pavement after rainfall.

We plunged into the swirling mass of energy. Our surroundings glowed brighter than scorching stage lights on Broadway. Memories from my childhood streamed past us, bridging the gap between space and time. Terrified by all I was witnessing, I dug my nails into his arms. If he hadn't been an angel I would've cut him.

We appeared on the other side of the wormhole and glided downward to the peak of a mountain in the Golan Heights. The bright middle eastern sun beat down on us. I squinted ahead to see the vast green patches of land dotted with wild irises, sparse kermes oaks, and juniper trees.

"Where are we?"

"Mount Hermon." He curled his lips into a wry smile. His large hands descended upon my narrow shoulders delivering another wave of electricity throughout my body. "Nearly four thousand years ago, I was a part of a group of two hundred angels known as the Watchers. We came to this very mountain. This is where our leader, Semjaza, requested we take an oath and we all agreed," he said.

"What made you guys decide to leave Heaven for Earth?" I said. He frowned, as if thinking how to explain, before a grin stretched across his chiseled face.

"It was an experiment, you could say."

"What type of experiment?"

"It was our mission to civilize mankind. Before we colonized the Earth, humanity lacked a lot of the basic knowledge taken for granted today."

"So, you guys set up a society?" I said.

"Yes, for example: Azazel taught women about makeup and jewelry and men about swords and breastplates, how to fashion them with the metals of Earth; Semjaza offered curses and witchcraft, Kokabel astronomy; Baraqijal astrology; Araqiel meteorology; Ezeqeel the knowledge of the clouds; Shamsiel signs of the sun and Sariel the moon. Those are just a few examples-there were many more. With our help, mankind's technology advanced rapidly. We helped you discover medicine along with the concept of science. Haven't you ever wondered about the pyramids?" His light eyes were full of zeal as he named each Watcher and what they taught, studying my reaction and level of comprehension.

"I suppose so?" I said, feeling minuscule as he hovered over me.

"Do you know the reason for their construction?"

"Was it for the internment of ancient Egypt's nobility?" I said thinking of the numerous historical books I had read on ancient Egyptian civilization.

"Not quite. While you're correct that the pyramids of Giza, as well as the various step pyramids, mastabas, and temples found in Thebes, were used as funerary complexes for the deceased elitists, there was more to the architecture than burial. The nobility's most important possessions...