Chapter Text
Three centuries of servitude and Beatrice was still unsure what God wanted from her. When she had first ascended to Heaven she was stopped at the gates and told that she wasn’t allowed to enter. She had asked why and been given an extremely vague response in the form of;
Your mission is incomplete.
Three centuries later, she still didn’t know what that meant and until she did she was damned to walk the earth never seen or heard by mortals, learning and observing they had called it. Beatrice had learnt two things, mankind was selfish and doomed to repeat the sins of the past over and over again, with a different group of people suffering each time.
Eventually, Michael, her boss for lack of a better term, takes pity on her. Beatrice assumes it’s because she’s been the longest standing Wayngel since Lucifer. Michael takes her under his wing, both figuratively and literally, as he shows her to an Orphanage in Andalusia, Spain called St. Michaels. Beatrice chuckles at the name, remembering that after all Michael is an Archangel and they’re a little self serving.
They sit together for a while and observe, Beatrice, confused as to why Michael would want to showcase this specific location. The Nuns were terrible to the inhabitants; lazy to the point of incompetence, they’re conceited, condescending, and absolutely cruel to all of the wards in their charge.
The longer Beatrice watched, the angrier she became, “I don’t understand why you brought me here to watch this, it’s beyond terrible.”
“Then you’re looking but not seeing,” Michael turned to her with soft eyes, “You need to change your perspective.”
“I don’t see how I can change my perspective on an order of sadistic nuns that treat those in their charge worse than animals. I mean how can they say they serve God when they’ve misunderstood all of his teachings about loving others?”
Michael let her rant with a kind smile adorning his face for a time. He gently grasped her chin and turned her face so that her gaze fell on a room where a young girl and a little boy were lying in bed together. The girl was weaving a tale about pirates and treasure that had the boy enraptured, he hung to her every word.
Watching the pair became addictive, Beatrice visited many times in the months following her impromptu excursion with Michael. The girl, Ava had incomplete quadriplegia, she had the use of her right arm and limited functionality in her left hand. The boy, Diego, had cystic fibrosis and both were here at the orphanage due to car accidents that took the rest of their family. It wasn’t fair to them, but as she watched, Beatrice came to realise that it didn’t matter as they had each other. It made Beatrice’s heart ache in a way that it hadn’t in a very long time.
Two Years Later
A family adopted Diego, which left Ava by herself and her light began to fade. In particular, there was one Nun that Beatrice would love to smite, Sister Frances. She was particularly mean and seemed to have taken a particular liking to making Ava’s life more difficult. This infuriated Beatrice to no end. So much so that after one particularly cruel day where Sister Frances had told Ava that she was the reason her mother was dead, Beatrice sought Michael out. “She needs to get out of there Michael, she’s dying! The Nuns are mentally abusive and her light is fading, her light can’t fade. I won’t let it!”
Michael watched as Beatrice paced, if it were anyone else he would have told them to explain themselves further but he knew exactly who Beatrice was referring to. Michael waited until Beatrice stopped pacing and looked at him before he spoke, his voice devoid of emotion, “There is no way we can interfere as we are, you know this.”
Beatrice threw her hands up in the air, “What is the purpose of angels if we can’t intervene!”
“There is one thing you can do, but it would be at great personal sacrifice,” Michael’s tone portrayed a heavy sentiment.
“Tell me,” Beatrice insisted.
“If you were to give up your wings she may walk again and be able to leave that place.”
Beatrice was shocked, she didn’t know that she could do that.
“Wha- what would happen to me then?” Beatrice sputtered.
“You would return to earth, knowing nothing of the afterlife and live out your life once again, as you are now.”
It sounded simple as Michael stated the facts, Beatrice didn’t hesitate, “I’ll do it.”
Michael leaned forwards, “Are you sure?”
“I can’t leave her there, Michael.”
Michael nodded, “So be it.” He clapped his hands which resounded like a clap of thunder as sheets of rain began to pour down at St Michael’s orphanage.