Chaya's P.O.V

The sky was so blue it was nearly white. Snow fell like swan feathers from the sky and the ground was blanketed with layers of sparky white snow. I lifted my face towards the sky and shivered as flower-like- petals of snow fell upon my skin. The warmth radiating from my breath melted the snow and as if the snow was crying, water descended my chin and neck.

Life felt weightless and my body was nearly floating, thick bushes of Russian violet hydrangeas trapped me in within the fairy-tale like garden. As I spun around to take in the beauty of the garden, the train of a dress tripped me up and I fell before a water- fountain. Palms supporting my weight, my eyes glanced down upon the dress that wrapped around my body like water.

The bodice was sheer and white lace hugged my breasts snuggly. From the tops of my breasts to my collar bones was bare as the dress housed only detachable sleeves. They were too made from white lace and from my elbows to my wrists they covered my skin, leaving my shoulders and parts of my arms bare to the harsh cold. The further my eyes traveled down the more white lace they took in. Beyond the bodice, the skirt was large and flowed around me like the ocean. It was soft to the touch and sparkled under the faint glow of the sun. The train was long, and my feet were bare of any shoes.

My mind screamed at me that this wasn't right, how I did I go from a barn to a garden? Where were my shoes and where was Malachi? However much my mind screamed, my heart shushed it and drew my eyes away from confusion and up towards the water-fountain before me.

It housed two pools, the bottom one fuller and caught the water the top one spilled. The top one was smaller and inside the pool was a statue of an angel, her hands were outstretched towards heaven. Water flowed from her hands as tears ran down her cheeks. Her hair was formed in a crown braid, and her wings were small as if she were barely older than a child.

As if lost in worship, she seemed to continue to pray for the water that flowed from her hands and descended into the lower pool. It was as if she was praying to God for water and He blessed her with more than she ever desired.

My eyes narrowed; I suppose it was easy for an angel to pray to the one who created her. It was easy to worship the God who blesses her with heaven. Take away her wings and curse her down to earth and let's see if she still worships the almighty God.

"Why do you think such things?"

Startled by a voice of a woman, my eyes snapped away from the water-fountain just in time to see a woman emerge from the flower bushes. As if sucked from my body, air fled from within me at the mere sight of her, for she truly is the most beautiful creature I have ever laid eyes upon.

A diamond was the shape of her face, greyish-blue eyes looked upon me with wisdom overflowing from their stormy depths. Her skin told a story of the sun's deep love for her, it was tan yet not dark enough to show any sighs of previous burns. Just faint enough to show that the sun once dared to descend upon the earth to kiss her. Her nose was straight and her lips full. The hair lining her eyebrows was dark yet thick, they arched above her eyes. As white as the snow upon the ground, perhaps even whiter, half of her hair flowed down her back in glorious waves while the rest was braided and pinned around her head.

My eyes tore from her stunning face and down her body in a curious manner. A blue dress shielded her body from the cold. Its bodice was coarse looking, it appeared to be some form of leather. From her shoulders to just above her elbows, three leaf-shaped metal plates layered one-another and laid over the fabric of the sleeves of her dress. From the waist down the dress appeared to be softer and pooled around her feet.

She was a small woman, barely even taller than me and yet as she came to stand over me, I still felt her presence to be heavy.

"How do you know what I am thinking?" I whispered as if I feared the very weight of my words would scare her away.

I've never seen an angel before...until today...

As elegant as a swan, she slowly descended upon her knees and came to be eye-level with me, "Our thoughts are small prayers whispered in the wind, I merely was passing by when I heard you."

Confusion raised within me again and as my tongue filled with questions, she smiled softly and lifted her hand to stop me from speaking, "My name is Aniela, and I assume you are Chaya?"

"I assume the birds told you that?" I mumbled as even in this dream-like-state I could not help but speak my mind, and that included thinking this woman is one nickel short of crazy.

Not one nor two lines creased her beautiful face as she smiled at me, "No, but that would be entertaining." She glanced around with pure bliss in her eyes, "I haven't been here in a millennium."

However frozen they were, my eyebrows still furrowed together, "You've been here before?" I didn't bother questioning the millennium for truly nothing is impossible in a dream.

She gently nodded, "Yes, a very long time ago," A spark of sadness danced through her iris's, "With a woman who was very much like you, her name was Calliope, and she was batting a seemingly unwinnable war."

I frowned, "No one is like me."

No one is damage goods like me...

My womb holds only faint memories of the child it once created, my heart belongs to a man who is either in heaven or hell. And my skin desires the touch of a man I should hate...

Aniela offered a sympathetic smile as if my thoughts danced right into her mind, "Calliope lived in a time and place where you humans created gods to worship, one for the sea, air, and underworld." She stopped to shake her head and laugh as if the mere thought of anything created by human hands was laughable. "Calliope was a rough woman to get through to, she was married to a warrior and bared him many beautiful children, she believed in these man-made gods and prayed to them daily. It was only after she lost her husband to war and a few of her children to sickness that she abandoned her faith in these gods and turned her back on all forms of faith. Her heart hardened and she did not smile for nearly twenty-years. It was only at the twenty-year mark that I met her, I'd watched over her for her whole life, but it was only when she was months away from death that God sent me to speak with her. And when I did, she finally opened her heart to God."

The story was beautiful, but that's all it was. Some made-up story to lure me into the trap of religion, I scoffed, "Yes, because taking someone's husband and children away just screams, 'I want a relationship with you.'

It was Aniela's turn to scoff, "Why is it that you humans think that every time something bad happens that God is involved? You are aware that there are two characters in this story, and the guy with horns and red skin is the one that hates you?"

I rolled my eyes; I believe they both hate me. I mean isn't it hate that caused God to kill my husband, baby, and aunt? Isn't it hate that made Him make me an orphan twice?

Aniela's frowned, "Let me ask you a question," She paused to look around the garden once again, "Is it God that hates you? Or is it yourself that you hate but just disguise it as God hating you?"

However cold the air was it could not freeze the fire that burst within my soul.

"You have no idea what you are talking about!" I shouted as I abruptly stood, I nearly knocked her off her feet.

Putting distance between our now standing forms, I turned and glared upon her breath-taking form, "Why are you here!? Have you come to tell me some fairytale story of a women you've helped before!? Or have you come to try and trick me into a relationship with a God who hates me!?"

Hate comes in so many different forms how foolish it would be of me to ignore the fact God could be a form of hate. I, myself is a form of hate, so why is it so impossible to imagine He is one too?

Aniela sighed and rolled her eyes so hard her head fell back, "Chaya, you have to stop blaming God!"

"Why!?" I screamed so loud my lungs burned, "Why must I forfeit my pursuit of hatred?! Is it hurting the almighty God's feelings!? So, what about His feelings! He didn't care nor listen when I cried out to Him in my hours of need!"

"You make God weep with your words!" Aniela yelled but she remained calmer than me, however high her voice had raised her eyes still overflowed with sadness and concern. She was like a friend I never knew I had, yes, she was angry with my words, but her heart was more concerned with my well-being then her own anger.

She tried to get closer to me, but I quickly moved, and she followed, it was only when we were circling around the water-fountain that she spoke, "I have watched over you since you were a small babe, I heard your first laugh and saw you experience love for the first time. I felt your sadness and your happiness, but I felt who you are!"

I snorted as she walked hurriedly after my fleeing form, "Oh pray tell, who am I glorious angel!?"

As the words were spoken into the frosted air, snow thicker than leaves and heavier than water descended from the sky and soaked my dress instantly. But I did not care, for anger consumed me like a fevered beast. I had no time to spare for the cold elements, only time for anger and pain...

"You are kind! And loving! Even though hid behind wraith!' Her voice grew only louder as she followed me. It was like a silent game of tag, the faster I moved the quicker she was to follow me, but her hands never once grazed my skin.

As dry as sand, a laugh burst from within me, "You claim to know me, yet describe me as some mindless fool."

I felt like the villain as another laugh burst from deep within my lungs, I suppose in some form I am a villain, and I don't hate it. Villains believe in change; they understand that power is the only way to change the world and purely understand love is a stupid thing designed only to imprison fools.

And I am no fool...