Before the Fall by L.G. Castillo

there for the competition, and women. There were dozens of them, each one shyly looking at his brother.
    He did a double take when he noticed a pair of big brown eyes looking straight at him.
    She was small with long dark hair and flawless skin. He had never seen her before, yet she looked at him as if she knew him.
    She gave him a gentle smile and then made her way toward the city center. He watched her as she worked her way through the crowd. There was something strange about the way she moved. It was as if she were floating on air.
    A high-pitched squeal caught his attention and he turned to see a little girl with a headful of dark curls chasing another girl through the crowds. Then the curly-haired girl ran through the brown-eyed woman.
    Whoa! She ran through her! He rubbed his eyes. There was no way that could happen.
    “Goodness Lahash, if I knew you were going to cry about losing, I would have given you a head start.” His brother slapped him on the back.
    He rolled his eyes. “You cheated because you know I can out run you.”
    He looked over Jeremiel’s shoulder, searching for the woman. She was gone. He rose up onto his toes, trying to get a better look. He saw two twin giants with black eyes. They looked to be about the same age as he was except they were taller and muscular—even larger than Jeremiel.
    He was taken aback when he caught their attention and they glared at him. He did not know them so he wasn’t sure why they looked at him with such loathing. They were obviously wearing their game face. He could do the same.
    He crossed his arms over his chest and glared back.
    “What are you looking at?” Jeremiel gazed in the same direction he was staring.
    “I’m looking for . . . there she is.” The brown-eyed woman moved between the two giants, her arms brushing them as she did. They didn’t even blink and continued to glare in his direction. It was as if she were air and not even there.
    “Do you know her?” He pointed out the brown-eyed woman to Jeremiel.
    “I’ve seen her here from time to time. She hasn’t been here for a number of years. Father knows her. I believe he called her Rachel. Why? Interested?” Jeremiel elbowed him.
    “No.” He pushed him back playfully. “She looks . . . different. She’s not like the other women around here. It’s like she’s here but not here.”
    “Hmm, I never noticed that before. I wonder if—”
    “Jeremiel! Has Raphael’s golden son returned to redeem himself this year?” a voice cried in greeting.
    Lahash watched as the brown-eyed woman turned in the direction of the voice, her face twisting with longing. He followed her eyes to see what could make such a sweet face look like that.
    A young man sauntered toward them. He almost looked like he could be Jeremiel’s younger brother—rather than Lahash himself—with his dark blond hair (worn shorter than Jeremiel’s), high cheekbones, and bright blue eyes. Lahash could see why the brown-eyed woman, Rachel, would look at this young man with such longing. A number of the women nearby had the same expression as they gazed at his brother and the man where they stood talking.
    “Ah, Uriel. Come and meet my brother. This is Lahash. He’s competing this year.”
    Uriel extended a hand to him. “I’m a friend of your father’s. You may not recall but you and I met once. Long ago. It was a most eventful meeting. You seemed to have an affinity for bathing nude in the mud back then.”
    Lahash was shocked to hear that the young-looking Uriel had known him as a child. Though he eyed him skeptically, he couldn’t help but be drawn to the grinning Uriel. He wondered how someone as carefree as him could be friends with someone as serious as his father. They must not be close friends or he would have seen Uriel more often.
    As they walked toward the city center where the city square was located, Lahash looked for the girl named Rachel. She had disappeared again.
    “Do you plan on competing this year or