by ERIN BEDFORD
“Don’t move too fast, dear. Though you were out cold, shifting still makes most of us nauseous the first time.” There was a slight musical note to her voice, and I wondered for a moment if she was related to my dad.
I blinked my eyes several times as I stared at the dark-haired woman at the end of the couch. She stood with her arms crossed under her breasts, which looked like they could spill out of the v-cut in her deep purple suit jacket at any moment. Was she even wearing a shirt under that thing?
“Who are you?” Damn. Even my voice sounded hollow compared to hers. Maybe I should stop smoking. Nah.
“Eleanor, don’t be rude.” My eyes jerked from the woman and over to my dad, who stood by my side. Hands in his pockets, he had a smug expression on his face that was just itching to be slapped off. If my hand didn’t still ache, I would have done it by now.
I swung my legs over the side of the couch and took in the room around me. We were in an office. The woman’s I assumed. Books filled the bookshelves that decorated the walls. A large mahogany desk took up much of the space in the middle of the room. There was no name plate and no personal items that would give away who she was.
“What did you do to me?” I was proud of the venomous tone my voice had taken on. It was hard to sound threatening when you had to look up at someone.
“Eleanor, it was for you own good.” My dad didn’t even remotely sound apologetic for what he’d done. “You wouldn’t have left with me otherwise, and we were running out of time.”
“You’re damn right I wouldn’t have.” I stood and curled my hands into fists. I’d never had a lot of patience. As an only child, I had always gotten what I wanted, when I wanted it, and right then, I wanted answers. Ignoring the stranger in the room, I shoved a finger at my dad. “You think you can just pop back into my life whenever you want and abduct me because you think it’s best? Well, listen up, pops.” I popped my p aggressively. “I’m a grown ass adult. Eighteen, almost nineteen. I don’t have to do anything you say. In fact, you lost that right when you left Mom and me to fend for ourselves.”
I shoved around him, intent on leaving. Never mind that I had no idea where I was. I just needed to get away from him. A thin but strong hand latched onto my elbow and halted my dramatic exit. Glaring down at the black painted nails, I jerked my eyes up to the dark purple eyes of the stranger. I was startled enough by her unusual eye color to drop my scowl but what really got to me was I couldn’t see her death either.
Leaning in close to her, I stared hard. “What are you?”
Her crimson colored lips tilted up on one side. “Stay and find out.”
She had me there.
I contemplated for a moment between barging out of the room or satisfying my curiosity. The fact that my dad also couldn’t be read was what won out. Whatever this woman was, I had little doubt my dad was too.
“Fine,” I clipped, pulling my arm from her grasp. I didn’t sit back down on the couch, but wandered around her room.
“Eleanor—” my dad started.
“Elle,” I interrupted him, my eyes skimming the books on the shelves. Book of Enoch. The Rise and Fall of the Morning Star. Encyclopedia of Celestial Beings. Frowning at the books, I turned back to my dad and the strange woman. “Are you some kind of religious organization?”
My dad gave an exasperated sigh. “If you would just sit still, I can explain.”
“Why don’t you let me, Batariel?” The woman placed a hand on his arm in a way that was too familiar for my liking, her lips curving up at the edges.
“Very well, Azazel. You were always far better at these things.” He lifted his arm, shifting his suit jacket to look at his watch. “I’m needed back anyway.” They exchanged a knowing look before my dad turned his attention back to me. “I know you hate me right now, Eleanor. But please know that everything I do is to protect you. Please stay here with Azazel. She’ll explain everything and protect you.”
Anger boiled in my stomach, and I stepped forward to shout at him for leaving me again, but he was gone in a swath of shadows before I even took a breath to speak. Gritting my teeth together, I swiveled my rage onto the only other person in the room. Azazel.
The woman wasn’t affected by my glare in the slightest. In fact, she seemed amused by it. Sashaying across the room, she reached passed me, making me flinch, but she only plucked a book from the shelf. “Since you don’t seem too surprised by your father’s shifting abilities, I’ll spare you the ‘magic is real’ lecture and get right down to the thick, juicy center of things.” She opened the book in her hands and flipped through some pages before plopping the book into my hands.
I stared down at the page before me. A black and white image spanned the page. Bodies with wings fell around the edges with swords in hand. Several other winged creatures swooped in from the heavens, lashing their swords out at the fallen as rays of light from the sky poured down on them. I read the underlying subtitle.
The Fall of the Angels.
I glanced up from the book to Azazel and then back down. “You can’t really believe in this crap, can you? I mean, angels are cool and everything, but to really believe they exist?” I puffed a bit of air and rolled my eyes, snapping the book shut to push it back at her. “That’s just crazy.”
Azazel didn’t even flinch at my words, her dry expression reaching all the way to her eyes. “No crazier than a girl who can see the death of everyone she touches. Except for me and of course, your father.” Her lips ticked up at the edges. “At least, not yet anyway.”
“What does that mean?” My brows drew together as I watched her push the book back onto the shelf where it belonged and then walk over to her desk.
Leaning against the edge of the desk, she placed her hands on either side of her. “What it means, Eleanor, is that your father and I are angels.” My mouth gaped slightly at what she was saying, not because I believed her, but because of the stupidity of it all. But she didn’t stop there. “And you are a Nephilim. The daughter of an angel.”
I shook my head at her, wrapping my arms around myself as I stalked back and forth in front of the shelf. “That doesn’t make any sense. My mother was human. She didn’t have any abilities. And my dad is just an asshole.” I scoffed, muttering to myself, “Angels are supposed to be of light and kindness. If Dad is an angel, God fucked up somewhere.”
Listening to my rambles, Azazel laughed, a long throaty sound. “Oh, God doesn’t fuck up, as you say. We are angels, but not those who reside in Heaven. At least, not anymore.”
I spun around on her, my eyes scanning up and down her form. “You’re a demon? Of course, you are. Makes sense,” I confirmed with a jerky nod. “It sure makes more sense than being angels.”
Azazel was up and off the desk in seconds, her face inches from mine as she gripped my chin in her sharp clawed hand. “Don’t ever lump me or the great Batariel in with those Hell bottom feeders again.”
I snorted in her face. I didn’t mean to. It just happened. She said my dad was great. Right. Sure. Great at ditching his family.
Azazel jerked back from me, a look of disgust on her face. “Regardless of your belief or not, you are in need of protection, and you are lucky that I owe Batariel my life.”
“What, did he save your stock portfolio?” I rolled my eyes once more and sank back down on the couch, throwing my legs over the side. I really needed a cigarette. I contemplated how pissed off Azazel would be if I lit up right there.
Ignoring my question, Azazel went to the office door and opened it. “Ayden, would you come in here?”
I sat up on the couch to watch a girl around my age walk into the room. She had hair the color of burnt coals and ember colored eyes. Her lips were colored a flaming red to go with the red of her eyeshadow. Those ember eyes found mine and narrowed in suspicion as she took me in. Well, look all you want, missy. I hadn’t let someone bully me since I turned twelve.
“Yes, my liege?” Ayden peered up at Azazel with adoration and wonder.
It made me want to gag.
“Would you show Eleanor around? She will be going to school here for the time being.” Azazel locked eyes with me as if she knew I was going to argue the fact.
I wasn’t going to give her the satisfaction. Besides, the sooner I got out of here, the sooner I could have a nicotine fix. Jumping to my feet, I walked up to Ayden. “Cool. Nice to meet you. Let’s go.” Before she could respond, I walked out of the office.
I WALKED BESIDE Ayden as she showed me the school. I used the word ‘school’ loosely, because the place looked more like an old castle renovated to be livable than any school I’d ever seen. Where was the stained hasn’t-been-white-in-years linoleum? Where were the florescent lights and ugly blue lockers?
The main theme of this school was stone. And lots of it. Gray stones lined the walls and the floors. The only color came from some large gold framed pictures of different scenes from the Bible and even ones I’d never seen before.
Noah’s Ark.
Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.
The Fall of the Angels, which I’d already seen in the book Azazel showed me. The others were different scenes that featured angels and demons, as well as one that had all the angels on one side and the fallen on the other side, each racing toward a singular figure in the middle wielding a sword above their head.
“That’s the Watcher,” Ayden said over my shoulder, making me jump in place.
I twisted around to look at her curiously. “What’s a watcher?” It was the first sentence the girl had said to me since we left the office. I think she didn’t like me too much. Too bad. I wasn’t here to make friends. I didn’t want to be here at all.
Not making fun of me for my lack of knowledge, she seemed to shift into teacher mode. “The Watcher is said to be the one who will bring about Utopia or the Apocalypse. Or whatever.” She waved her hand in front of her face and grinned. “If you believe that kind of crap.”
I snorted. “I don’t.”
“Good. So...” She trailed off as she walked back toward the center aisle. “I get the feeling you don’t exactly want to be here.”
I shoved my hands into my armpits and scuffed my booted foot on the ground. “What gave that away?” I was still wearing my funeral clothes. I’d have to find something else to wear soon. Though one look at Ayden’s plaid skirt and white button-down shirt with crimson colored necktie, and I was thinking my mourning clothes might be the better choice.
“Believe me, I didn’t want to be here either.” Ayden gave me a knowing look. “Not many of us do. But we don’t really have a choice. If we weren’t here, the angels would kill us all.”
I started at her words. “What? Why?”
Ayden gave me a confused frown. “Don’t you know?”
I shrugged my answer.
Pursing her lips at my utter lack of knowledge, Ayden asked, “You do know you’re a Nephilim, right?”
“Well, yeah. I got that part in there.” I pointed a thumb back at Azazel’s office.
“Hold on. Hold on, just one dang minute.” Ayden grabbed my arm and jerked me back.
I winced against the onslaught of images that shoved their way into my head. A spear pierced through my chest, the pain so excruciating that I gasped sharply. I pulled my arm from her grasp to break the connection, stumbling back from her startled expression.
“Uh, what was that?”
I held a hand up signaling to her I needed a moment. Bent at the waist, I put my hands on my knees and heaved in deep breaths. Most of the visions I had weren’t that visceral. The last one that had been this bad had been my mom. It wasn’t a vision that was easy to forget.
“Don’t touch me.” I finally said, lifting my head. “Just don’t.”
“Oooh...” Ayden’s eyes widened, and her mouth formed an O shape. “You’re one of those. I was wondering, but I guess it makes sense given your...” She waved a hand at my clothing. “Fashion choices.”
I glanced down at my dress. “Uh, I just came from a funeral, but what do you mean ‘one of those’?”
Ayden’s brows shot up. “Oh. Sorry. I didn’t mean—”
I jerked my hand across the air. “Forget about it. Just answer the question.”
“Well, first off...” Ayden shifted and then looked around. When her eyes finally settled, she pointed toward a set of double doors. “You need the whole shebang. It’s not often we have a virgin amongst us.”
I frowned. “Virgin? I’m not a—”
Ayden giggled. “Not that kind of virgin, but that’s good to know. I don’t have to walk on eggshells around you when I talk about my hookups.”
Cocking a brow, I allowed Ayden to lead me toward the double doors. “So, you know you’re a Nephilim, but do you know what that even means?”
I shrugged and tossed my blonde hair over my shoulder. “My douche bag dad banged my mom and made me. We’re all one big freaky family.” I hugged my waist as I chewed on my lower lip. I could really go for a cigarette about now.
“Yeah, yeah, but do you know what that means?” She lifted her hand and pulled on the door handle of the double doors. Like in one of those slow-motion scenes in the movies, a large hall sprawled out before me. “You’re not alone.”
Long tables filled with kids of all ages sat around the room. Plates and trays sat in the middle of the tables full of food for them to pick off of. Some of them read books. Others chatted with their friends. Then a scream erupted on one side where a set of twin guys about my age were laughing as wind whipped around them, building a cyclone in the middle of the table.
My eyes turned to saucers, and I looked to Ayden. Not she or anyone else was freaked out by the tornado the guys were creating. The girl who had screamed was cursing the twins out for messing her hair up, not because she was scared.
I gaped at the scene before me and then almost fainted dead away when another boy came up and shot fire out of his hands. It whirled around the top of the cyclone, almost hitting the ceiling.
“And I thought I was a freak,” I muttered to myself, unable to comprehend the magnitude of what was going on in front of me.
Ayden bumped me with her arm and laughed before adding a quick, “Oops, sorry.”
I waved her off with a sigh. “I’m used to it. The first time is always the hardest.”
“Gotcha.” Ayden nodded, leading me toward the ones making the ruckus. “I’ve only known one other seer before. We don’t get many of your kind.”
“My kind?”
She smiled as if it were something fantastic to be a rare type of freak. “Someone who’s mom and dad are Nephilim.” She gestured around the room. “Most of us either have one parent who is a Nephilim and one who is human. Sometimes, one parent is an actual angel and the other human, but that’s pretty rare.”
I frowned. “How do you know what kind I am based on my...ability?”
Ayden stopped by the group before turning to me. “That’s easy because seeing the future is a power only God is supposed to have. You’re technically not supposed to exist, but the fallen are far more lenient than the angels.”
I let that thought swim around my head while Ayden jumped into the fray nearby. The moment the twins—both red headed and freckle faced—saw her, they dropped their arms. The dark headed guy making the fire also stopped, and the fiery cyclone dispersed into thin air.
“Hey, Ayden. What’s up?” one of the twins asked, but the other one saw me over Ayden’s shoulder and grinned.
“Oooh...fresh meat.” He sauntered over to me and reached out. I ducked before he could throw his arm around my shoulder and backed up several steps.
Ayden caught the action. “She’s a seer.”
The others collectively nodded in understanding before returning to what they were doing. The guy who had tried to touch me offered me an apologetic look. “Sorry. I didn’t know.”
“It’s fine.” I held a hand up, still a bit dumbfounded by the lot of them.
“I’m Zephyr
. That handsome bastard over there is my brother, Bayu.” He gave me a lopsided grin. “And who might you be?”
“Elle,” I quipped simply. I thought I was done with the whole school introduction stuff until I went to college. I didn’t really want to meet new people if I was just going to leave again. I had enough of my own issues to deal with without adding all their deaths to my vault.
“That was a cool trick you did,” I continued, making conversation. “What are you, some kind of elemental?”
“Good guess!” Ayden popped back into our conversation beaming. “I was just going to show you the different groups. We’re elementals.” She gestured to herself, the twins, and the other fire guy. “The twins can control wind, obviously. Joash and I both do fire.”
“I’m Coral!” A pink haired girl with a pixie cut poked her head into the group. “I can control water.” She swirled her hands in the air, water pooling into the shape of a horse. It neighed and jumped across the air before me. When I reached out to touch it, it splashed to the ground soaking my stockings. “Oops.” The girl giggled. “I’m not that good yet.”
“Normally, the elementals stick together and the mentals do the same, but since our liege assigned you to me, I think we can make an exception.” Ayden grinned, proud of herself for her benevolence.
I cocked a brow at her, but then frowned and asked, “Mentals?”
The one named Joash answered, “Them lot over there.” He pointed toward the opposite side of the room. Most of them weren’t talking, but seemed to be staring at each other intently, while the others were flipping pages without touching them. A few of the younger ones were tossing a ball without their hands.
“You would normally be over there with your kind, being a seer and all.” Zephyr patted me on the shoulder and then jerked his hand back with a wince. “Oops, sorry.”
I breathed through the attack of a violent death, something that seemed to be a theme here at the school. I grasped my head and shook it. “I’m fine. Just hurts more with you guys.”