Angel Evolution by David Estes

large clouds. Then she did a full three hundred and sixty degree turn. She could barely make out the lights from the campus in one direction. Looking back at Gabriel she could see that he was, by far, the brightest object in their near vicinity.
    “Pretty impressive,” she said, “but it was only hay.”
    “I can show you later, but the impact would have been nearly the same had it been a brick wall. However, on a demon’s flesh, a weak attack like that would have been easily repelled,” he explained.
    “I thought you said you needed light to use your powers? It’s a dark night and we aren’t even near artificial lighting,” Taylor asked.
    “My sensitivity to light is so high that I can draw enough power from the few stars in the sky to do what you just saw.”
    Now she really was impressed, although she wouldn’t admit it. The stars were millions or even billions of miles away, but somehow this angel was able to tap into their energy.
    Ready for more, she asked, “What’s next?”
    “Ahh, now for the real fun. Let’s see what we can do between the two of us.” He rubbed his hands together.
    “What do I need to do anyway?”
    “That’s the cool part,” Gabriel explained, “you don’t actually have to do anything. You just stand there looking pretty the way that you do.”
    Taylor’s heart skipped a beat upon hearing the beautiful angel refer to her as pretty, but she hid it by snapping, “Well on with it then!”
    Gabriel seemed immune to her abruptness. “As you wish, my queen,” he said.
    He looked at her intently, as if he was studying a piece of modern art at a trendy gallery, and then forcefully extended one arm towards her and the other towards a large rock outcropping on the edge of the field.
    Before Taylor saw the light, she felt her stomach drop, like she was in a free fall on a wild amusement park ride. She felt a warm tingling throughout her body; the feeling extended to her outermost extremities, from her fingernails to her toes to the tip of her nose, and everywhere in between. The sensation was not unpleasant like a foot falling asleep or hitting a funny bone; rather, it was like the bubbles from a sauna, kneading and massaging sore parts of her body. She noticed that she was now glowing similarly to Gabriel, her aura manifesting itself visibly. At that moment, for the first time in her life, she experienced complete, unchained, irresponsible, beautiful, pure happiness.
    All of these feelings and emotions poured through Taylor’s body in less than five seconds, and then a massive beam of light was projected from Gabriel’s outstretched arm. Gabriel roared; it didn’t sound like a cry of pain or fear, but rather a bellow of sheer physical effort. The beam charged through the large rocks as if they were made of recycled paper, and continued on a destructive course, tearing a wide path through the night-cloaked forest.
    Along its trail, trees collapsed or were disintegrated like toothpicks in a fire. At varying points, large explosions erupted high into the night sky. With a violent shudder, Gabriel finished his battle cry and collapsed in a heap.
    The incredible feeling streaming through Taylor’s body subsided and she was left laughing on the soft ground, as if she was being tickled by a thousand feathers. Her laughter morphed into concern upon seeing Gabriel’s exhausted body. His pants and shirt were torn and singed, like he was the sole survivor of a violent house fire.
    Taylor’s worry disappeared when she saw that Gabriel was grinning, in-between taking huge breaths of air. Upon catching his breath, he yelled, “That…was…AWESOME! The Council is never going to believe…” He trailed off. Pushing himself back to his feet, he put his arm around her shoulders. “You really are special, Taylor.”
    Taylor, still feeling the effects of the event, beamed proudly; a rare time when she was willing to accept a compliment. She did feel special, invincible even. As he looked