Chapter 1
HEAVEN HELP US
My soft footsteps crunched on the pebbles beneath my feet as I walked down the silent road. Heading towards school, a soft buzzing in my pocket cut through the still Monday morning air. Quickly I shut it off, not in the mood to talk to my mother who was away in Vegas on a supposed business trip, but we both knew that wasn’t true. I read the voicemail anyways. “Haven! I’m so sorry but I’ve been held up at work and I’m needed for a few more days. Just order take out or something but I’ll be home soon!” Without a goodbye or an I love you she hung up and that was that. Sighing I slipped the phone in my pocket and continued. Another night of pizza and Chinese food and no one to share it with. No father to watch football with, to friends to go shopping with, and no boyfriend. My father was a drunk, and that’s all I was ever told. I am the fatherless fifteen-year-old outcast. Continuing the long, monotonous walk I hung my head so my black hair obscured my view. I’d walked this road several times, so this was not a problem. The forest around me was still, and the sun just started to climb up into the sky, scattering the darkness as I shuffled my feet. Abruptly, a loud sizzling, burning noise from above caused me to look up in shock. A massive flame, hurdled toward to the ground, and landed with a thud and a cloud of smoke. It only seemed to be half a mile away, yet the impact had the ground tremble, and I steadied and braced myself. What was that? I thought over and over again as I stood still, as if another were to fall from the sky and hit me. It could be a meteor; they have fallen before, right? Unsure, I shifted the weight of my backpack and started in the direction of the smoke. What am I thinking, who knows what it could be? I veered off the road and into the forest, the burning smell cut through the damp forest as I dodged through trees and rocks. In a matter of minutes, I saw the massive smoke cloud billowing out of the ground. My body jarred to a stop, and I stood staring. I felt vulnerable and exposed to whatever it was. Cautiously I took a step forward, my foot landing on a twig, and that’s when it happened. It snapped, and my eyes shot up to the dark figure that jumped from the smoke and pinned me against the rough bark of a nearby tree. I gasped out in shock and pain from the impact and clenched my eyes shut, willing it to go away, but that was foolish. “Who are you?” Implored a deep loud voice that came from the mysterious man. “Haven.” I managed to choke out. “Is there anyone else here?” He asked, although he seemed to have a hard time masking the worry in his voice. “N-No.” He seemed pleased with that answer, and his steel grip that had me pinned released and I dropped to the ground. Finally I opened my eyes and looked up at him. My breathing halted when I took in his features; pale skin, dark black eyes, shoulder length black hair and a stoic expression. I noticed that all he was wearing was a black shirt and black pants, and if the situation couldn’t get stranger, no shoes.

CHAPTER TWO
MY FALLEN ANGEL
“I’m Dagon.” The man with the black eyes said and he offered his hand towards me. Slowly I took it and he helped me off the wet grass. He gave me a funny look, one of questioning and let his drop to his side. I blushed, imagining him looking at my tangled black hair, faded ACDC shirt, ripped jeans and grass stained shoes, thinking about me compared to him. He almost glowed, radiated power, and I didn’t know why. His name was unusual as well, but I did like it. “How did you get here?” I asked. Chuckling, he shook his head, and I noticed he looked to be about 17. “You wouldn’t believe me.” He said smiling, as if it were an inside joke with a friend. “Try me.” Trying to sound confident, I looked him in the eyes. He just continued smile, but he became very serious. “I am a Fallen Angel.” I laughed along with him, but nervously. Some of it did make sense, the flames, and his ability to move so fast out of the smoke. “Aren’t you supposed to have wings then?” I asked inquisitively, but tried to keep my manner light and joking. “I do.” With that, he took off his shirt and I quickly diverted my eyes. “See?” Glancing back, I stood in awe at the black tattooed wings, so beautifully detailed. They folded down his back, and they looked incredibly real. “They used to be white, and worked a whole lot better.” He commented when I didn’t respond. “But what do you mean by that?” I asked, and he pulled back on the black shirt. “You still don’t believe me do you?” He said, turning to face me. “I fell from Heaven. I was a Angel, whether you want to believe that but I’m starting a life here.” So he really wasn’t lying, and I had to believe him, it all matched up perfectly. “So where are you going to go?” He looked down towards to ground, diverting his attention, seeming far more interesting in the dew covered grass than my question. “So you don’t have anywhere to go? I mean it’s not like you have any money either…” His actions cut me off, and he easily pulled several coins from behind his back. I stared in shock, wondering how on earth he obtained them. But of course, he wasn’t from earth, and he wasn’t human, so there must be a reason behind it. “But, how did you do that?” I asked, still surprised. “Manifestation.” He said calmly and quietly. “I imagine it and it appears, convenient, huh?” Soon a ten dollar bill appeared in his hands and he held it out towards me. I took it, and once I was convinced, I gave it back. “Until you get settled down, I guess you could stay at my place for a while.” I suggested. “It looked as if you were going somewhere though, I don’t want to bother you.” He replied sincerely. I shrugged it off. “Just school, but your more important than that right now.” The corners of his mouth tugged up into a small smile and I led him out of the woods and down the road I just came from, and soon we reached my house. As I rummaged through the closet, trying to find shoes for Dagon, a growling noise made me turn my head around towards him. He stared at his stomach in confusion, and a bit of fear. This put me in a laughing fit, and I couldn’t stop. “What! I’ve never felt this before, whatever it is.” He said genuinely, and continued staring at his stomach. “Hungry?” I managed to laugh out and stumbled to the kitchen, trying to regain my composure. “I’ve never been hungry before.” Dagon said, and accepted the granola bar I tossed his way. He dug in, but continued talking. “Won’t your parents come home?”, his attention only wavering slightly from the small meal. “My mom said she’d be home in a couple days, possibly a week knowing her. Eventually you will have to leave. If my mom came home and saw you she’d flip.” But I wasn’t quite sure exactly when she would get back, and knowing her she’d never pay enough attention to notice Dagon.



Chapter Three
FALLING IN REVERSE

Days past and Dagon continued staying at my small cabin home, secluded in the woods. Mom never showed up and I didn’t get a phone call, but I didn’t worry. There were other things on my mind, and this was usual for her. Dagon was now my best and only friend, even though he was practically a stranger. He shadowed me throughout the house, curious in everything I did. I asked him questions whenever I could, and he did the same. Mine were always about Heaven and God, but he always gave me quick, straightforward answers before throwing questions at me. But my life wasn’t nearly as interesting, yet he was always listening intently, holding on to each word. He asked about the friends I didn’t have, the mall in which I didn’t go to, and the father who I never knew. However, I was the most interested in manifestation. He taught me the rules, such as how you could only manifest an image of a person for a small length of time, and you couldn’t manifest food. Being an Angel, this was easy for him, but he told me that humans could do it as well. This was only true if an angel who favored them assisted in the process. Right now, the snow is falling and blanketing the ground in white, and Dagon and I are sitting across from each other by the blazing fireplace. My eyes are closed shut, just as he instructed me to do. Even though I can’t see him, in the black behind my eyelids I can picture the contours of his face, and his raven black hair and eyes. The heat from the flames warms the right side of my body, and I can hear the heavy beat of Metallica coming from the stereo. He put my hands in his and talked slowly. “Imagine something. Imagine it so clearly that all other thoughts are gone except for the object. Imagine how it feels in your hands, how it looks in detail, and if possibly, how it smells. I’ll help you, but most of it is on you.” I tried. I pictured the thorny stem of the black rose, the petals curling at the edges, and could almost take in the scent of it. Soon, I could feel it! It was there, even though I couldn’t see it. Excitement rushed through me, but my heart dropped when I heard Dagon exclaim. “No!” My eyes shot open and met his eyes of sorrow and pain. I looked to the ground where I expected to see the black rose, but instead there was only the hardwood flooring. “What happened? I swear it was there.” I said, trying to understand. His breathing was heavy, he clutched at his chest, and his cold eyes were set on the ground. “Dagon?” I whispered and inched towards him, but his black eyes locked on me, and behind them was hatred and anger. “I’m not supposed to be here! Don’t you understand why there aren’t any other Fallen Angels walking around? We can’t live here! It just doesn’t work that way!” He shouted at me and I recoiled away. What was wrong with him and what does he mean? “I came down here to be with you! I’ve been watching over you all those years, and I wanted nothing more than to be with you! Ever since I fell, all my good morals practically deserted me, and I’ve been trying to fight off the anger, greed, and selfishness that has overcome me! I just want it to end!” I interjected. “But you’ve been controlling it fine!” I argued. “Don’t you understand how hard it is? I don’t want to hurt you, and at any moment I could! The longer I’m here the harder it is to manifest things!” I instantly recalled yesterday, when it took him several times to manifest me the new Iron Maiden CD that I desperately wanted. “Every moment I’m here, the more painful it is! I thought it would be easy, but I was wrong. I was blinded by thought of being human and living here, that I didn’t see the price I would have to pay!” With that he screamed, and it was terrifying and chilling. “Dagon!” I yelled out his name and reached for him as a flame of black seized him. Using my hand, I shielded myself and clenched my eyes closed. As quickly as it had started the flame died out and my eyes quickly fluttered open. All that was left was a small pile of ashes, and that was the end of him. Silent tears ran down my face as I stared at the beautiful remains of my only friend.