Chapter One
Annabelle Charles wasn’t a bad girl. Or should I say angel?
She was perfectly sweet to everyone. Well, if you include just herself.
So this is Annabelle’s story…
The Day Annabelle Died
“Annie! Cross the street for me honey! You can do it! Come on! Come on!” Annabelle Charles’ mother beckoned her little five-year-old across the street.
Annabelle’s mother was all the way across the busy street and she had just taught Annabelle to walk across it on her own. Annabelle was scared, but reluctant to reveal her insecurity. So, to get rid of it, Annabelle walked over to the 7Eleven a few sidewalk squares away.
Entering the store, Annabelle could already hear her mother yelling, “Annabelle! Bad girl! Come back to Mummy!”
Annabelle walked right over to an unoccupied cash register and climbed onto the counter. She started banging on the register and pressing all the buttons until, finally, a little bang and some smoke came from the register. She had broken it. Annabelle smiled.
“Annabelle! Little girl come here!” Mummy yelled.
Annabelle crawled right off the counter and over to the occupied register. She bit into a man’s leg and he screamed. The customer ran away before sliding her credit card and threw her bags on the floor from fright.
Annabelle clung to the man’s leg as he started running wildly, dragging his foot behind him. Mummy was getting nearer, so Annabelle let go of the man and ran to the aisle of sweets. She ran to the back where the Slurpees were located and she jumped onto the counter.
Annabelle pressed on the button for a long time until she realized the bin was all out of cherry. She put her mouth under the Blue Raspberry nozzle and pressed on it. She must’ve drunken half the bin.
“Annabelle!” Mummy screeched. She snatched Annabelle from the counter and carried her squirming daughter outside. At the curb, Mummy put Annabelle down and held her daughters hand firmly and began walking across the street. Cars screeched to halts and Annabelle pulled hard on Mummy’s hand, pointing a ‘pretty’ Cadillac.
“Look, Mummy, look at the pwetty Cadiwac,” Annabelle said. “MUMMY LOOK!” Annabelle demanded loudly.
The honks erupted and the Cadillac lurched forward. “ANNABELLE!” Mummy screamed.
And then Annabelle was blasted with pain. She screamed, but too late. She was dead.
Mummy mourned. She grieved. She regretted handling her little baby too harshly. Annabelle was rushed to the hospital but it was no use. Her heart faltered right after all the tubes and needles were stuck into her. Mummy kissed Annabelle’s head and blessed her with motherly love. It was the only way Mummy was sure her baby would be sent to the Lord.
Present Time In Heaven
Annabelle shook her head slowly at her outfit in the mirror; her white tank top was too long, she wanted to show her belly button, her jeans were too casual, she should just use short-shorts, and her black moon necklace was too…fallen angel-like.
Shaking out her golden hair from its ponytail, Annabelle took her white tank top off and cut it just enough that it’d be a few inches above her belly button. She wriggled out of her jeans and slid on olive green shorts and stepped into her white flats. She took out her yellow star necklace and unclipped her black moon one.
“Perfect.” Annabelle grinned her beautiful smile.
“Annie, come on!” Annabelle’s friend Stelle prompted her.
“I’m finished and coming, geez, Stelle.” Annabelle growled. Stelle was an Italian name, meaning ‘star.’ Annabelle was partially cold to Stelle because she had such a beautiful name.
“Pardon me.” Stelle growled back. Stelle was wearing a white mini-dress that when down just above her knees. Pearls lined the straps and the hem of the dress. Annabelle mentally sighed and realized how beautiful Stelle looked. Like a real star.
Annabelle hissed like a cat and then pushed herself in front of Stelle. They entered the temple together and many waiting angels were staring as they walked down the aisle and slid into their seats.
“Thank you for finally joining us dears.” the head angel, Muriel, smiled kindly. Her tone was sincere and she didn’t sound like she was trying to acknowledge the rudeness of Annabelle and Stelle’s arrival.
The friends nodded.
“This Friday is the day of Deciding. Does any Virgin Marys know what the date of Friday is?” Muriel continued in her musical voice.
Many Virgin Marys raised their hands (Virgin Marys are like juniors in high school, they are one step away from becoming Living Christs. Living Christs are like seniors. Disciples are sophomores and just Angels are freshman).
“Yes, Becki.” Muriel called on a pretty dirty blonde in the back.
“The 26th of the Month of Danger.” Becki answered smoothly.
“Excellent. You all know quite well, I’m sure, that the Month of Danger is the month to be most careful and cautious of your actions. Even angels are not perfect, my dears. Remember, our Lord is coming this Friday and he will be sending some to fall. I’m sorry but I cannot give any hints of who shall be falling.
“I want you all to know I love you. You are my children and I am your mother. For now, I am the closest angel to Our Lady of Perpetual Sorrow. Mary will be filled with grief when her sons and daughters begin to fall.” Muriel explained. Her face saddened as she asked her next question. “Do any Virgin Marys know what next month will be?”
Again, Becki raised her hand, but this time, Tommy was called on. “The Month of Mourning.” he said in a deep, attractive voice.
Annabelle turned her head and gave a thumbs-up and winked. He blew a kiss to her (yes, they’re together) and she caught it. Muriel cleared her throat.
Immediately, the couple turned their attention to the front. “Correct. Excellent job, Thomas. Next month, we will all go into mourning for three and a half weeks. We will all eat one meal a day.”
The crowd of angels nodded solemnly.
“I wanted to know if any angel had a question about the Day of Deciding, that’s why I called this meeting.” Muriel lifted her beautiful head.
No angel raised their hands. Annabelle picked at her French manicured nails. Stelle kept her full attention on Muriel.
“None? Okay, well, my dears, you may all go back to your houses, rooms, apartments, condos, trailers, or many places I have left out. I love you and God bless.” Muriel smiled. A tear rolled down her cheek and looked straight at Annabelle.
Something about Muriel always weakened Annabelle’s knees and made her feel powerless, so Annabelle smiled.
Muriel smiled sadly this time and called to Annabelle. “Beware of your regularities.” Muriel walked away.
Annabelle was left puzzled and worried. She simply shook it off and set out to her room, but instead of walking all the way over there, she instead started calling for red paints and super glue. In her outstretched hands appeared super glue and Dutch Boy paint. Smiling, Annabelle set off for her math teacher’s office.
Annabelle took the Dutch Boy paint bucket and poured the red paint all over the math teacher’s desk until it was all gone. She then put super glue on the seat and glued his favorite pencil to the desk.
Grinning deviously, Annabelle had totally forgotten Muriel’s warning. She wiped her hands on her jeans and zapped back to her room. Stelle was lying on the couch reading a GL magazine innocently. “We have to go shopping. I really want some yellow tights.” Stelle gushed.
“Done.” Annabelle nodded. She collapsed onto her bed and then got up again. She laid out her clothes for Friday. White Gap jeans and a white collared shirt with a dark blue sweater-vest over it.
“Don’t forget we have to wear our Apostles pendant.” Stelle yawned. The meeting had started at 8:30 and ended at 9:00, so plenty of angels were getting ready for bed. It was 9:30 at the moment and Stelle had already changed into her orange satin pajamas.
“Right.” Annabelle nodded. She was somehow nervous about the Falling Angels ritual, but she knew that she wasn’t going to be picked to fall. It was impossible.
