The story you’re about to read is about my life as a guardian angel. It has its happy moments, its scary parts and then are sections that make me cry just thinking about them. But it’s an important story about the people who have made me into the young lady I am today. I’m proud to share it just as I remember it. An angel’s memory is like an archive, so…welcome to my personal library!

My life began in silence. My mother was holding me, her messy baby, in her arms. She stared at me with glistening purple eyes and I stared back. I reached out with my stubby little hands and grabbed onto her webbed finger. I gave it a little kiss to thank her for bringing me into this world.

I grew up in our little sanctuary; a hut in the middle of the Forest of Lost Children. It was just Mommy and me for the first eight years. Angels age one fourth the speed that humans do, so I looked like a toddler at that time. I had a full set of hair, though it was still short, and I had strong legs that carried me all around our little village.

Mommy and I would knit clothing for each other and she would tell me stories about her incredible adventures and about grandma too. Grandma was a mermaid, an enchanting creature of the sea. That’s why Mommy had such pretty scales on her body and flippers too. My grandpa was really cool too! He was a hero, a human warrior who fought against bad guys. Grandma and him met up on an adventure and after they snuggled all night long, grandma got preggy and then three years later, Mommy was born. I snuggle with Mommy all the time, but I never get preggy. Mommy said that’s cuz we’re both girls.

My papa was a great man too. Mommy was assigned to be his guardian angel and keep him safe. The two of them grew up together, they became the bestest of buddies and then they became even more closer! My papa was a legendary hero who took down a bad king alongside Mommy and his best friend! Hearing about Mommy’s stories about her adventures with Papa always made we want to go beyond the forest and see the rest of the world.  

I could talk about Mommy’s stories forever, but you wanted to hear my story, so I’ll get back on track!  

One day Mommy brought over a visitor. It was an angel girl like me, but she was twice my age. I was so happy to have a big sister. Her mommy was a ShadowPup, big dogs that can shift into shadows. Whenever I ask her where her mommy is now, she goes quiet. So I stopped asking and we got along great! Things were even better than ever, at least for a time. Now that I had a sister, Mommy would leave us, sometimes for months. She was out searching for more sisters for me to play with. When I turned 16, she even brought me a little sister! Tumble was what I called her and she was prickly but impossible not to hug. She was like a living tumble weed. Mommy thinks her mom was a WoodPrimordial, but those entities are apparently really special. Tumble is super special too! Even though she never talks, I never had trouble knowing what she wanted. The little prickly angel would always clung to my leg too so I never felt alone.

When Mommy wanted to go out again two weeks later, I got really scared.

“You can’t weave us, Mommy. I miss you when you leave. It huwts, right here,” I say, tapping my chest.

“Aww, my little one is worried about me.” Mommy swept me up into her arms. “I have to go find you more sisters.”

“I already have two sisters. I don’t need any more. I don’t wanna wose my one mommy.” I sobbed in her bosom.

Mother’s embrace would always calm me when I was needy or emotional, but I was too afraid at the time. I remember it so clearly. My body was shaking.

“Whad if you never come back?” I asked sniffling.

Mommy dried my nose off with her absorptive fingers and pet my head. “Then Luna will take care of you.”

“Luna is a mega cool big sis, but she never cuddles me and she doesn’t hold me when I cry. I need you, Mommy.”

“I plan to return by the end of the month.” Mommy crouches down. “These girls need me. They don’t have a mommy. Don’t you think everyone deserves a mommy?”

I grab Mommy’s hand and nuzzle it while nodding. “Uh-huh,” I say, stifling my tears.

“You have to be strong for you little sister, too. Don’t count the days, my cherished one. Just spend time with your sisters and don’t leave the forest.”

I nod again. “I promise.”

“Good girl.” Mommy hoists me up, gives me a kiss on the lips and then sets me down.

I kept my emotions packed in for a bit but then started sobbing. “Mommy!”

Luna came into the hut.

I think she was listening the whole time.

“Dry your eyes. Do you have any idea how lucky you are?” she asks me with a scornful look.

“Lucky that I have a bossy big sister?” I asked, crossing my arms and puffing out my cheeks.

“You have a mother!” she yells, rushing into me and knocking me to the ground.

“So do you,” I say, shielding my face. “Mommy loves you tons.”

“You don’t understand and you never will!” she gazed at me with eyes of hate.

I couldn’t take it. Seeing my beloved big sis look at me like that made my tummy hurt. I leaped up and hugged her. “Then help me understand,” I say, hugging her super duper tightly.

“Fine! You really want to know? I never met my mother because she was murdered! I know who did it too; but I just can’t avenge her. I’m pathetic.”

I kiss her lips and give her a big smile. “You’re not pathetic. You’re supah strong! Even stronger than Mommy. You’re so cool, and athletic. I want to be just like you.”

“Like me? Come on, short stuff, you don’t really want that,” she said, trying to wiggle out of my iron hug.

“I’m gonna help you get even stronger so you can get even with the bad guy who hurt your Mommy.” I bite my thumb and place it against hers. “It’s a bwood pwomise!”

Luna smiles, bites her thumb and presses it to mine. “Pwomise accepted,” she said with a toothy grin. “But how are you going to make me stronger?”

“Duh, by cheering you on and showering you with wots and wots of motivational hugs!” I rolled around and hugged her, kissing her repeatedly.

“Okay. Okay. I’m motivated. Look, you know why your mom doesn’t let us come with her, right?”

“Cuz it’s dangewous and I’m still a baby nymph.”

“That’s right. I didn’t want to have to train with you since your crying is so annoying, but an angel doesn’t go back on her promises. If we want to get strong enough for your mom to let us join her dangerous quest, then we both have to get stronger. That means you’re going to get bruised, cut and, well, you’re gonna bleed a lot.”

“Why would I get hurt?” I ask, letting go and cowering behind my hands.

“Because we’re going to be sparring. The only way to increase our divine gifts is to use them. Our magic is like a muscle that we gotta exercise,” she says, rubbing my chubby arms.

“Okay,” I say with a salute. “But wait? What about Tumble? She wants to be with me the moment she wakes up.”

Luna flicks my nose. “Well then you better get up early.”

“Mmm,” I nodded, eyes brimming with hope.

I was surprised when we first fought. I remember every detail.

“So, uh, whadda I do exactly?” I asked.

“Just try not to get knocked down. If you do, then I’m going to keep punching you, got it?”

“No way that sounds scary, sis. I don’t wanna do this anymore!”

“Then your promise to me was empty!? What about your desire to leave the forest and go adventuring? Are you just going to give up on that too?”

“No I just.”

“Shut up!”

“Huh?”

“If you have something to convey then do it with your fists. You feel that rage, right? Use it to knock me off my feet. Prove to me you aren’t just a weak little cry baby.”

I wiped my tears and rushed in. My fist hit her chest but she didn’t budge. Her fists then hit me over and over. When I was about to fall down, she’d slam her fist into my chin to knock me back up.

I tried to shield with my hands but it hurt so much. “Stop!” I yelled.

“If I stop now, then you’ll be the only one getting practice. You have to at least have pride as my punching bag, shorty.”

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

“Can we please just stop for now?”

Luna swipes my feet and punches my gut as I’m falling. She then grabs me by my hair and pulls me up. “Do you think the threats outside will stop when you ask them to?” She tosses me back.

I stumble and fall into a mud puddle. “You ruined my dress,” I said with teary eyes.

Mommy and I knitted it together. I miss Mommy so much.

“I warned you about getting knocked down!” Luna leaps on me and punches me repeatedly.

“Stop!” I yell, shielding my face.

“Your tears aren’t going to help you!” she yelled, punching my arm till it snapped.

“You’re killing me!” I wailed, trying to whack her off me with my broken arm.

“I’m saving your life!”

Luna kept hitting me for what felt like hours as I kept crying. My tears dripped down my cheeks and their inner prana was absorbed into me, filling me with energy.

Luna’s eyes nearly popped and she grabbed her broken fingers. “Finally! I got a real wound! Nice one, shorty. You held out long enough for me to actually bust my hand punching you.”

“Does that mean it’s over?” I ask, trying to shake off my tears.

“Pretty much.” Luna shoved her fingers in my mouth and down my throat.

I gagged and coughed, trying to pull away.

“Calm down, shorty.” Luna pulls her hand out. It’s sparkling with my saliva and it’s being mended before my eyes.

“Woah! How did you do that?”

Luna giggled.

She had such a cute giggle, took away a bit of the pain.

“I didn’t do this. You did, shorty! You healed me! The only way for us to improve our healing is to get hurt. Wow, I really messed you up. My bad. I guess that means I get extra training though.” She drooled all over her hands and rubbed them on my broken arms.

“Wow, that feels really good,” I say with wide eyes.

“Yeah, but I think they’re still broken. You’re going to need constant healing all day. Guess we better snuggle up. Stay put,” said Luna, rushing off.

I brought my hurt hands to my mouth and started licking them. “I can heal just like Mommy!”

“Yep. You’re a natural healer. My hand feels just fine.” Luna came from behind me and dropped a blanket over me. She then snuggled up next to me under the blanket. “Just remember, the more you get hurt, the more powerful I become. Hope that helps you deal with the pain a bit.” She poked my belly and smiled.

“And then we get to snuggle more too, right?” I wrap my arms around her.

Ouch. They still hurt.

Luna turns her head to hide her cute purple blush. “Hey, uh. What do you see me as?”

“Huh? You’re my sister of course.” I lick her cheek and giggle.

“Yeah. Of course,” she says, looking back at me with a smile weighed down by sadness.

It was impossible to not count the days Mommy was away. Every morning I’d get up when the Cuckatrice sang. Luna would always be just outside the hut, ready to fight me. I’d always lose. Every single time. I didn’t even stand a chance. I’d get really excited whenever her fingers broke because that meant we got to gauge our power growth and snuggle! I remember asking her why she didn’t just hurt herself with like a tree branch and then let me heal the wound. She explained that we’re sisters so we should grow strong together. No cheating. By the end of the month I learned to not cry after my arms were broken. I became a real tough girl just like Luna. Sadly, our powers had reached a standstill. Two more weeks passed. No power growth and no word from Mommy.

“Tumble is starting to lose weight. She needs Mommy’s milk. What do we do, Luna?” I asked one morning after our sparring match.

“I can’t do anything without you. My healing still sucks! The only thing I’m good at is defense since I sweat so much.”

“Should we go looking for her together?”

“No, Annie. Tumble is still too weak to go out there. I think she always will be.”

“What do you mean?”

“She wasn’t born right. That means she’s always going to need you to take care of her, okay?”

“Yeah! That’s my duty as mid sis!” I exclaim with a big grin.

“It’s up to me. Ready or not, we’re not making any progress by staying in this sanctuary. I’m going to go out and find her.”

I grab onto Luna. “No. You’re not allowed. I don’t wan’ you to weave and never come back like Mommy!” I whined.

“Geez, you’re still such a crybaby.” Luna licked my teary cheeks. “I’m going to come back. You can wait a week, can’t you?”

I crossed my arms. “I don’t wanna.”

“Too bad. I’m the oldest sister so you have to do what I say,” she said in brash voice.

I look up at Luna and my expression softens.

“What? What is it?” she asked with an annoyed look.

I hug her. “You’re crying, Luna.”

“Huh? No I’m not,” she said, putting her hands to her face. “I…I am.” Luna embraces me super tightly. “I love you, Annie. No matter what happens, I’ll always love you.” She kissed my forehead.

“Sisters through this life and the next!” I cheered, wrapping my fingers around her’s and giving her lips a loving kiss.

Luna pulled away with embarrassment. “I’m gonna prepare some supplies. You have to promise me you’ll stay put.”

“But what if you don’t come back this week?”

“I’m coming back for sure,” said Luna with a smile.

A week passed. Luna didn’t come home. Tumble must have noticed how I was feeling. She cried alongside me that night. I woke up next morning to see Luna. She looked scared and hurt.

I took off her clothes and lay her on the grass. “What happened Luna?” I asked, spitting on my hands and applying it to her scars.

“I’m leaving tonight again. I don’t know if I’ll return,” said Luna, turning away from my gaze.

“Who hurt you?”

“Bandits. They thought I was a looker. Wanted to put me up for auction. Won’t be scouting for products now after I tore out their eyes,” said Luna with a dark glare.

“You can’t leave me again! I need you,” I said, rubbing her bruised cheeks.

“I have to. It’s the right thing to do.”

I hugged her tightly.

“Ow. Careful,” said Luna, closing her eyes and cringing.

“I’m not letting you leave unless you tell me why you have to go!”

“Ugh! Fine! Just let go of me!”

I released her from my hug.

“Your Mommy has been captured by bandits. The ones I fought off were just some stragglers. They have a whole town of bandits and that’s where your Mommy is. The slave auction is in three days so I have to go in and rescue her! I won’t let you lose her.”

I grab Luna’s hand. “No! No! No! You’re not going anywhere! I won’t wose my big sister too.” I broke down into tears.

“If I don’t come back you can’t come after me! I need you to promise me, Annie!”

“I’m going with you!”

“What?”

“We trained together and she’s my Mommy, so I’m going to save her too!”

“You’re a crybaby! You’ll alert them of our position. What if you get captured and its all my fault? I can’t go through that again. I won’t lose you like I did…mother.” Luna hugged me and cried in my arms.

“Mommy only got captured because she went out on her own. We’re support angels so we gotta support each other! As long we got each other’s backs, we can’t lose!”

“The bandits we’re going up against are merciless. There is nothing they won’t do to you if you get caught.”

“Then we won’t get caught!”

“And if we do, what’s going to happen to Tumble?”

“I said we won’t and that’s that!” I yelled, crossing my arms.

“I’m wasting my energy arguing with you. Alright, get prepared. It’s a two day’s walk from here.”

“You got ya!” I rush off to pack my things.

“Wait! Before you go. I got something from a merchant. It’s happy juice. Makes you giggle. Want some?”

“I love giggling!” I exclaimed.

Luna took out a vial and poured a little into my mouth.

“When does it start to take effect?” I rubbed my eyes.

I feel sweepy.

Everything went dark.

By the time I woke up, Luna was gone, the moon was out and I was in bed. I found a note attached to Luna’s doll.

She would never leave behind her doll. Its her cherished gift from her mother left her. This isn’t good.

I picked up the note. It was hard to read because I was tearing up. Bottom line is: she left without me, she knows she’s likely going to get captured or killed and she loves me very much.

I have to find her.

My tears pumped energy into my body and put me into a hyper aware state. My hands started glowing and the energy materialized into a book. The book was fluffy and black. It reminded me of Luna.

I opened it up to the first page. It said what Luna was doing the day we met. Wait, it wasn’t just what she did…it showed what she was thinking. I turned to the last page of the book and words appeared before my eyes. They were in my handwriting though. None of it made any sense to me at the time. The good news is, it didn’t have to. It told me exactly where she was.

I closed the book, packed up my things, including Luna’s doll, and headed for the exit of my hut.

Tumble stood just outside the door with her arms outstretched. “Uh-uh!” she mumbled with fierce eyes.

She’s right. How can I get upset with Luna for leaving me if I do the same to Tumble?

I crouch down. “Come on, Lil Sis. Hop on my back. We have a perilous quest ahead of us.”

“Mmmm!” Tumble put on a fearsome look and we charged off.

We arrived at the edge of the forest. The powerful barrier Mommy put up to protect us zapped me when I touched it.

“What do we do?” I asked, punching it over and over. “Luna and Mommy got out, so why can’t I?”

Tumble shrugged. She rolled away.

“Hey, don’t give up.”

Tumble then rushed toward the barrier, rolling up into a fierce ball before colliding with it. She made it through but her skin had been torn from her bones.

I panicked. Hearing my little sister screaming was unbearable. I puffed up my cheeks with saliva and then ran through the barrier.

Pain surrounded me. Blood was everywhere.

I spit into the air and it landed on my face, healing it up. I gathered more spittle and applied it to my arms. I crawled up to Tumble and mended her wounds. Even after she was fully healed, she was still crying.

We didn’t have time to stop though. Luna was already nearly a day ahead of us. We ventured on foot into the dangerous and exciting world beyond our home.

If we wanted any chance of catching up to Luna, we couldn’t afford rest. Thankfully an angel’s pee gives a strength boost and while neither of our lemon juices were particularly potent, they gave my legs the extra push we needed to continue our trek. We followed in Luna’s footsteps, staying on course until we reached the next marker before moving on to the next. Reading the book made me feel like Luna was right alongside me. And reading her thoughts showed just how much she worried about me. Luna loves me wots and wots.

We had made up for lost time. Apparently by drinking blood, I went into a crazed state, which allowed me to ignore my aching legs and keep up a fast pace. We were just a few hours from both our destination and from Luna.

We had arrived at the Bandit’s Village, which according to Luna’s thoughts in my journal, was called Street Trash. It was more beautiful than anything I’ve ever seen though. The huts they had were mega tall! They shined in the sunlight and had dark windows, adding an air of mystery! The pathways were paved with rocks and they sparkled too!  

“Isn’t this place incwedible?” I ask Tumble.

Tumble holds herself and shakes her head. “Uhn.”

I look back at the journal.

No. That can’t be right.

It says. “I turn down the alley and am suddenly ambushed from behind. A parasitic blind fold is placed over my eyes and I feel a bunch of men grab onto me and inject me with something. My body becomes numb. ‘I’m so sorry Annie. I couldn’t save your mother,’ I think to myself as I’m placed in the back of a cart.

“Luna’s been captured! We have to go now!” I exclaim, picking up Tumble and rushing off.

We fall down the hill and land in front of an old MounTroll and his son.

The old man’s skin is like stone, but the boy only has a few rocks growing out of him.

Real MounTrolls! Just like in my mother’s story.

The old man’s eyes creak open, shedding dust. “The God Sinka has blessed me. To think such valuable merchandise would just land at my feet. Two LustBorne! Get them, boy. You’re old man is tired. We’ll be able to move into the capital after this.”

The boy took out a knife and rushed me.

Is everyone in the whole village a bandit?

Tumble rolls in front of me and catches the blade in her teeth.

Tumble just saved my life!

“Granpa, it won’t budge,” says the boy, being dragged toward Tumble.

“They are powerful creatures, but they are novices in terms of combat. Watch and learn boy.” The old man’s arm’s released dust.

I saw the glint of a weapon and rushed in.

An arrow hit my chest but I managed to grab the weapon. I tried to wrestle it from his stone grip but I was no match.

The old man grabbed the back of my head. “You know, before the Fall, your kind were pets. Those were the good old days.” He slammed my face against his rocky knee.

“Hey, hands off the girl!” yells the voice of a young man from behind us.

“You want the merchandise, then you’ll have to pry it from my hands!” spat the old man, turning to the figure.

“Actually. You’re going to release her yourself.”

I looked out from behind the old man to see the figure toss a canister. It released a stream of smoke that relaxed my muscles.

I slipped out from the Old Man’s grip and the rock boy fell over too.

The figure lifted me up and popped me into a basket on his back.

“Don’t worry, little girl. I’ve got you.” He picked up Tumble and tossed her in with me. “And your little friend.”

“Thanks for saving us!” I exclaimed.

“Any hero would have done the same. Oh, I should introduce myself.”

“I already know who you are,” I said, poking my finger out from the basket and touching his back.

“You uh, you do?” he asked.

Mmm. I could smell his flushed cheeks.

“Yep! You’re my hero!” I exclaimed, popping my arms out and hugging him.