Year Two: Rebels - Cara Wylde Page 0,33
was incredible. I could stay here for hours, looking at the gorgeous mansions below, with their expansive gardens and clear, private lakes. This looked like the perfect place to live. Since I was only human and I hadn’t died yet, I couldn’t move to Heaven. And even if I died, I doubted that I’d end up here. But I was pretty sure I could vacation here if I wanted to and I had the money. Yes, things in Heaven cost, too. Money was the universal language that created a bridge between Heaven, the land of humans and supernaturals, and Hell. It also linked all the pocket universes around Earth to us, which was convenient, really. Some rules and conventions had to be the same everywhere.
I didn’t hear Domina until it was too late. Instead of climbing the stairs, she flew up on the platform, and she did it so silently that I became aware of her presence only when she was already standing behind me.
“Pretty, isn’t it?” she asked in a low whisper.
I turned on my heels, startled. Her intense blue eyes fixed me, and I felt like I couldn’t move. There wasn’t much space in the observatory, and she had her wings spread wide, blocking my way from all sides. I had to stay calm and pretend like I wasn’t bothered by her presence at all. The last thing I needed was to have her believe that I was weak. I wasn’t. Even though she looked rather scary right now, and… What did she want from me? Why ambush me like this?
“Yes, it’s pretty,” I said.
“You like Heaven, don’t you?”
I shrugged. “Eh. I’ve heard some things and I’m starting to believe it’s not as perfect as it seems.”
“It’s hard to be perfect.” She was still whispering in that eerily calm way. Her voice was giving me the creeps. “And even when you are, it doesn’t guarantee anything. It doesn’t mean you’re going to get everything you want just because you’re beautiful, good, and obey the rules. There are so many rules in Heaven, did you know that?”
“No.”
“Every thought that is not directed toward God and His grace is a sin.” She grinned. “That makes most of us sinners.”
“Seems a bit… exaggerated.”
“Not at all. That’s why so many angels leave Heaven for Earth. They’d rather get normal jobs on Earth, rent, or buy some property than live here, in this beautiful, and oh-so-empty place.”
“I didn’t know that. Good info.”
I made to leave, hoping that she’d get the hint and move, but Domina stood her ground. We were too close to each other. I could feel her breath on my face. She’d just had some sweet-flavored lemonade, I could tell. I took a step back and grabbed the railing behind me.
“I come from an old family in the Ninth Sphere,” she continued, and I wondered what had gotten into her. Of all the people in the world, she’d chosen me to talk to about her life? “I’m my parents’ only daughter. They wanted a boy badly, an heir to the family, a man who would take their name and legacy into the future. Of course, even if I get married, I will never change my name. I told them countless times, but they don’t seem to care. A boy is a boy. A girl is… well, not a boy.” She chuckled awkwardly. “When I was little, they promised me to one of my cousins. He’s way older than me, and… my cousin! So, when I grew up and understood what they were asking of me, I refused. I was a naïve little girl. I dreamed of true love and wanted to meet a special man who would take me from my parents’ home, away from Heaven, and build a home for me and our children somewhere nice and normal, where there wouldn’t be so many rules and restrictions. My parents wouldn’t have it, though. They made it clear the moment I refused to marry my cousin and they didn’t have a choice but to respect my wish. However, they decided that I wasn’t going to leave their house, their property, until I accepted to marry a seraph from the other noble families. He wouldn’t be blood, but he would still be worthy of my name.”
“That’s fucked up,” I whispered. “Marry your cousin? And I thought this was Heaven… Isn’t incest a sin?”
“It’s not incest if it’s between cousins. Anyway, you’re so slow, Yoli. Heaven is not what you think it is.