The State of Grace
This is so unfair!
How dare Gabe talk to me like that?
Just because he’s Father’s favourite.
Just because he’s mister whiter-than-white.
I was only doing what he told me to do.
‘Look after Jane’ he said.
‘Keep an eye on her’ he said.
‘Don’t let her get into any trouble’ he said.
Does he think I am stupid?
I have been out in the world before. Just because I had a problem last time...
I went with her to the party.
Wow, was this different. It was like nothing I had ever seen before. The way these kids carried on, I was shocked, but I remembered the job I had to do.
I kept out of sight, just watched Jane.
It was pretty lame, until Peter and Paul arrived.
I mean, twin brothers, football stars, deep blue eyes - and buff too - well who wouldn’t?
Jane obviously had a thing for Peter, giving him those cow eyes of hers, and tittering and simpering at everything he said.
But she wasn’t going to get anywhere unless someone got him away from Paul.
She asked for my help - silently, of course, but I heard her plea.
So I thought, ‘Guys go to parties with a wing-man, it’s like I’m Jane’s wing-woman - ha!’ So I made sure he could see me.
His eyes nearly popped out of his head, he stood there, tongue covered in cigarette butts where he had been dragging it on the floor.
So anyway, I got him away from his brother. Jane had a clear run.
In the morning, I thought of Jane, doing the walk of shame, while I flew off, unobserved, of course.
I thought I had got away with it, but I reckoned without Father.
Of course I knew he was supposed to see everything, but I figured he couldn’t be watching everything all the time.
Wrong.
The next thing I knew, he had sent Gabe.
‘What was the last thing I told you?’ he said.
‘I was doing what you told me’ I said.
‘No, Grace, this is the end. After that incident with Joan of Arc, and your retraining, you were told that this was your last chance. You are dismissed’.
‘What?’
‘You heard. Dismissed. Leave.’
‘But, you can’t...’
‘It’s too late, Grace. The decision has been made. Father has signed off on it, you’re out’.
‘But what will I do?’
‘The same thing that others before you have done. It’s all downhill for you from here, I’m afraid.’
The smug bastard smiled a dazzling smile at his own joke.
I could have knocked those perfect teeth out, but what’s the point? I knew I couldn’t win. Even Luce had failed. You can never beat this system now, it has been going too long.
Gabe just looked down his long, flawless nose at me and pointed me to the door.
I shuffled over to it, pausing to look out at the fields beyond.
‘Grace’, Gabriel called, using the full power of his voice for the first time. ‘Leave your wings behind please’.
They lifted off my shoulders to flutter disloyally to his outstretched hand.
I stomped out into the real world, marvelling at how weak full sunshine seemed in comparison to the light I’d become used to.
The wet grass was cold on my feet. I lifted the skirts of the shimmering gown, forced to keep it out of the mud - now I could no longer fly.
This sucks!
Fallen angel, indeed!
This is so unfair!
This story was written for Week 139 of Daily Picspiration - a site where a group of writers create stories from photo prompts. Each day
features a different writer with his or her own picspiration. You can visit
each day for a new story.
