Page 61 of Shifting Hearts 1
Brock barked out a laugh. “Mara is just lazy!”
The siblings’ banter brought a smile to her face as they led her down the hall to a small room containing a single bed, devoid of linens. The scratched up nightstand had a single brass lamp. The tiny three-drawer dresser was missing knobs. She took a deep breath looking at the potential of the sad little room instead of expressing disappointment.
She closed her eyes and folded her hands as though praying. She conjured a vivid image in her mind. A purple and pink ombré bedspread with two plush pillows covered the empty bed. A Tiffany-style lamp replaced the brass one, adding color and flair to the dark wood as the dresser doubled in size. The white walls turned a shade of periwinkle, and a wooden frame with twine and clothespins made a centerpiece on the wall, perfect for a photo collage. Almost as if they were connected by an invisible psychic force Mara and Brock appeared. Mara looked around the room and nodded her approval.
“It’s a little on the safe side, but I like it. So you wanted us to take a selfie?”
“What’s a selfie?”
Mara pulled her phone out of the pocket of her jeans and drew Seraphina to her side. Brock sidled up behind them and took the phone from his sister as he had the longest arm. Seraphina grabbed the phone, falling in love with the photos as they hung on the wall. More pictures appeared of the three of them in different silly poses and faces. Lastly, an ornate frame hung on the back of the door causing her to blush in a moment of vanity.
“Your room is a bit girly, little sis. You should’ve looked for inspiration first,” Brock teased.
Mara clapped him on the arm.
“You don’t want to go into his room Seraphina! It’s dark and reeks of man stench.”
Seraphina’s nose wrinkled at the thought. She didn’t know what a man’s stench was, but if Mara was warning her, she knew it couldn’t be a good thing.
“Can you show me your room, Mara?”
“Of course!”
Mara looped her arm around Seraphina and pulled her from the room to the door across the hall. She pointed out the bathroom and Brock’s room at the end of the hall.
Mara opened her door and waved Seraphina in. She took a look around the room. The walls were a deep crimson, making Seraphina’s stomach churn. She felt dizzy and plopped on the purple and black comforter.
When Seraphina pointed and asked about the posters on the wall, Mara explained they were from concerts she had been to. Several were signed by the bands. Mara opened an app on her phone and angry music started playing that hurt Seraphina’s ears.
“You’ll develop your own taste in entertainment.”
After a while, the windowless room closed in on Seraphina. Angels required sunlight to charge their energy. When she touched her sister’s hand, an electric shock ran through her body. Tears pricked her eyes as overwhelming sadness twinged with shame rushed over her.
“You lost your wings!” she gasped.
“Shhh! Keep your voice down.”
“Does Brock know?”
“Of course he knows. He’s the one who’s been helping me work through it.” Mara frowned.
“How did it happen?”
“You remember that guy I told you I was seeing?”
“Yeah, Shane, right?”
“Mhm. I thought he really loved me.” Mara’s voice wobbled.
“You gave him your virginity?”
Soulmate bonds were strong and true, strengthening the celestial. Losing their virginity in a lustful act was the epitome of disgrace to an angel. They were punished for this sin by being stripped off their wings. Mara could earn her wings back through finding her soulmate or through the ultimate sacrifice.
“Did it hurt?” Seraphina asked.
“Define hurt?”
Seraphina’s face scrunched. She knew of pain as a concept though she had no experience with it.
