Earthbound Angels Part 1: The Heartthrob Fallen Celestial Stories Collection

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~ ~ ~
~

"
Come on
,
Jackson...! You can't just throw me out on the street. I'll have
the money for you by Friday. Surely you can wait three more days?"
The petite young woman spoke in a plaintive voice with an
undercurrent of panic at the tall, elderly man that hovered over
her small frame. She needed for him to see that it was only
reasonable to give her those three extra days. It was obvious that
he really didn't need the money that badly, so it wasn't taking
anything away from him to grant her those short days. She was
terrified of being homeless, yet it seemed that homeless was
exactly what she was about to be.

"Hollianne, I've given you two months. The last
thing I want is to throw you out on the street, and I feel bad that
your life has turned to shit. I honestly hope you turn it around."
He was attempting to sound reasonable, sympathetic even, to show
that he wasn't the bad guy. Surely, she could see that he was a
businessman and not the manager of a homeless shelter. "But you
need to understand my position. I'm not in the business of
providing charity. So, you either pay me the rent that you owe me
or you find another place to live. I'll give you twenty-four hours
and that's it."

"Yeah, that's real generous of you, Jackson,"
Hollianne replied, realizing even while she spoke that the sarcasm
was dripping from her words. "Where am I supposed to get two
months' rent together by tomorrow? I don't even get paid until
Friday."

"I'm sorry, Hollianne. It's the best I can do.
Twenty four hours or you're out."

The man called Jackson turned his back on her
and walked away.

Hollianne Talbot stood and watched her landlord
stalk off. Clenched fists at her side, she glared at his retreating
back.

Suddenly, it was as if all the oxygen had been
sucked right out of her. She sighed and let the feelings of loss
and defeat wash over her. This was exactly what she had been
fighting for so long and now she simply couldn't do it anymore. It
was inevitable that she had to deal with everything that had
befallen her in the past few months.

She realized Jackson was right; she had no
reason to be angry with him because he had been more than patient
with her. It was just that she had never planned to be alone. The
love of her life had been ripped from her in the cruelest of ways
imaginable, and now she had no idea what to do with herself; or
what to do with her life.

Sitting down heavily on the bottom steps of her
rented townhouse, she hung her head, staring at the pavement,
feeling the tears start to build.

What the hell am I going to do now?

She had seen this coming.

She had just been rendered so immobile with
grief that she couldn't bring herself even to think about doing
anything.

When she eventually recovered enough to
understand the reality of her position, she had fallen too far
behind in her rent payments to catch up. Losing Adam had nearly
killed her too, and she simply didn't care what happened now. She
didn't even know why she had put up such a combative front with the
landlord. In a way, she welcomed the next inevitable stage in the
downward spiral, as it confirmed that all positive energy had been
drained from her world.

Well
, she thought as she stood and trudged up the
steps to the front door,
I better start packing.

There was absolutely no way of getting her hands
on that much money by tomorrow.

At least she wouldn't lose everything in the
townhouse. She had enough money for a week in a cheap motel. Her
stuff would just have to go with her. Taking a deep breath, she
blinked back the threatening tears and walked into the house.

Erick watched this scenario unfold from a coffee
shop across the street from the block of townhouses. Apparently,
the woman was having a harsh disagreement with the tall man out
there on the sidewalk, people warily sidestepping around them.
Whatever had transpired, the woman was now very upset and, sitting
there dejectedly, looked as if she was about to cry.

This was the woman that he had caught sight of a
week or so ago when he happened to stop in this place for a cup of
coffee. While he was sitting at a table window, he had seen her
coming and going from the building. Her attractiveness had, of
course, been very apparent, but there was something else about her
that drew him. She seemed to have an inner strength that glowed
about her, almost as if she wore an aura that everyone could see.
Of course, not everyone was capable of seeing this glow and he knew
it. However, he had special abilities that others did not have and
he did not feel selfish when he used them so effortlessly. There
was something special about this woman.

The more he had observed her, the more he grew
to feel a certain admiration for that glowing aura of strength that
shone around her. When he thought about it, he couldn't remember
ever seeing someone with this bright of an aura. Did he need more
proof of just how special she was?

Erick could suddenly feel his heart pounding.
There was a constriction in his chest that he could not explain as
he watched her face, as closely as if the future course of his life
depended on what he saw there.

She wasn't that beautiful.

Okay, she was, actually. But just not the kind
he was used to. He had his fair share of easy conquests in his
circles, women with ready smiles and blase chatter who, behind
their carefully maintained uprightness and grace, were as
fulfilling to be with as mechanical dolls. Maybe that was the
reason he had never taken any of them seriously or felt anything
special for them. They were almost like walking plastic dolls.

Her beauty had character and grace, the kind
that could only come from within. While it was clear that she was
very upset about something, possibly even depressed over it, that
glowing aura still surrounded her. It did seem to be edged with a
bit of gray but, overall, her inner self was shining through.
Obviously, something dark was going on with her. That confrontation
had seemed rather serious from where he sat. The woman had
certainly looked more than simply forlorn as she sat upon the
steps. Pain was etched in her arresting features and evident in the
way she simply sat and stared at the pavement.

As Erick continued to observe her, he watched
that unique aura move as it swirled around her, changing directions
as well as various shades of gold. Yes, it had dimmed somewhat, but
that was only because of the inner turmoil that was struggling so
hard to come out. There was something that made him feel sad for
this woman. That realization brought him up short.

And why do you care?
He asked himself.
Why do you care
about a woman you don't even know?
Ok, so she's got this insane aura around her like
none he had ever seen on another human being. That shouldn't have
any effect on how he viewed her.

No, it is not that I care. I am just
curious
, he corrected
himself. She had caught his eye and he simply knew that she was
someone special. This woman was a queen among crows.
Who wouldn't be
curious to know more about a woman like this?
It was true he didn't see something like
this in humans every day.

He admitted that he was interested.

So what was that all about? What happened to
her? How has her life been turned upside down?

Making a sudden decision, Erick set money on the
table and rushed out of the coffee shop. He hurried down the
sidewalk trying to locate the man who had left so angrily. Spying
the top of the man's head, he started running to catch up with him.
Ducking down an alleyway, he emerged a half-block ahead so that he
could cut ahead of the man and speak to him where he was now
standing.

Jackson approached Erick as the latter stood
casually on the sidewalk, as calm and unruffled as if he had not
just sprinted there, indeed as if he had always been there, waiting
for this moment to happen. As Jackson slowed and moved to one side
past Erick, he felt a hand reach out to stop him.

"Hello, sir, and excuse me for interrupting your
thoughts," said Erick, as smoothly as if accosting someone in an
alleyway were as natural to him as breathing. "Are you the owner of
the townhouses a couple of blocks back?"

The man looked at him, startled and a little
suspicious. "Yes, I am. How did you know that?"

"Oh, I was looking at them and asked someone who
owned them," he replied offhandedly. "They pointed you out. I
didn't want to disturb you at the time since you were having some
sort of confrontation with a young woman."

"Yeah." Jackson suddenly seemed sad. "That lady
has had it rough lately. She's a freelance writer, pretty damn good
if I say so myself, but she hasn't been working since that tragedy
happened to her. Believe me, I feel bad, but I have to make a
living, too. I can't let her live there for free."

"Of course not. Property rental is a business
after all."

Erick hoped the man didn't detect the undertone
of sarcasm in his voice, but it was not likely -- he was adept at
concealing his true feelings when needed. And it was important that
his true feelings were not evident to this man. He needed something
from Jackson Dean and he wanted to acquire it smoothly.

"I can see that you must be a businessman, too,"
the man said, now obviously interested by this elegant, well-spoken
stranger.

"In a manner of speaking, yes, I am."

"I'm Jackson Dean" the man said.

"Erick Angell."

The two men shook hands and then proceeded to
chat further while obviously sizing each other up as they talked.
"Mr. Dean, I initially wanted to talk to you about your townhouses,
but now I think I can help you in this dilemma you have with your
tenant."

"I'm not sure what you mean, Mr. Angell,"
Jackson replied.

"It's quite simple actually. Here's my
proposition..."

Twenty minutes later, Jackson Dean walked away a
very happy man and Erick Angell a very perplexed one. He lit one of
the slim, expensive cigars he always carried with him in a silver
case; he rarely smoked, but now he felt his nerves needed the
nicotine's calming effect.

Now, why did I just do that?
he wondered.
That's so unlike
me.

I don't care what these little human ants
do!

Yet I've just helped someone out of a huge
mess.

He knew that he would have to ponder that
question carefully. Things like that certainly did not need to
become a habit with him. Going through his evaluation process was
one thing; voluntarily stepping in to help a human in need was
quite different.

This must be what temptation felt like.

But was it a good thing, or was it a dangerous
illusion?