Ascend (Celestial Academy Book 1)

by Maya Nicole

  His hands fell to the smooth surface of the roof and his body seemed to vibrate with a power I couldn't understand. It was like a machine with a giant turbine was turned on, the waves radiating from him in a circular pattern.

  "We should have done this in the field. It's going to knock the entire building down!" Chamuel backed up a step.

  The roof beneath our feet started to shake and Tobias pulled me closer to him. It felt like an earthquake, and I might have thought it was one if I didn't see my father's body vibrating in the middle of the roof.

  Just when I thought my teeth were going to break from the vibrations, everything went eerily still and silent for the briefest moment and then wings burst from his back with a flash of bright light as he stood. They flapped twice, stirring the hair around my face.

  I choked on a sob, the image of the man so hated, so vilified, standing before me with pure white wings that nearly blinded me. He turned around slowly, his wings moving as if on autopilot to avoid hitting Chamuel and Haniel. He walked towards me without hesitation.

  "You've always wondered what my wings look like." He stopped in front of me, bringing a hand to my cheek and wiping away the tears that were cascading down.

  His face looked different somehow. He was the same, but a lightness caressed his cheeks and he had a twinkle in his eyes. A sob escaped my lips and he pulled me into his arms, wrapping his arms and wings around me.

  "Shhh." He kissed the top of my head and then pulled away. "Everything is going to be fine. Shall we get this over with?"

  He stepped back and Tobias followed him, giving my hand a squeeze as he passed. The four angels launched into the air and disappeared from sight.

  Waiting for the angels to return was akin to going to the dentist. I hated it with every fiber of my being. They said it could be hours before returning, so instead of sitting around on the roof, I decided to track down Oliver.

  I pulled my phone out of my back pocket and shot him a text. Where are you? Want to wait with me?

  I was halfway back to my room when I got a response. I was thankful he hadn't pulled an Asher and ghosted me. You can come to my room if you want. Building 2, room 403.

  Not exactly what I had in mind in terms of waiting, but after what happened in the dining hall, I couldn't really blame him for wanting to hide in his room. There were so many questions I had for him that, if I did have the balls to ask him, I wouldn't even know where to start.

  He looked around twenty, yet was only about eight months old. He was at the top of the year one students, so it made no sense that he only had eight months of knowledge. Did he just pop into existence one day and already know a lot, or did he learn by sleeping with his head on books? I might hate him if he learned by osmosis.

  Maybe I'd ask him why he wasn't in heaven anymore. That seemed rude though, and insensitive. So was asking him if he'd ever watched porn or masturbated. Did they have porn in heaven?

  My mind was still going a mile a minute as I stepped out of the fourth-floor elevator of his building. I walked down the hall to his door, and before I could even raise my arm to knock, the door was opened.

  "I felt you coming." He moved out of the way to let me in the room.

  I stepped inside as he shut the door behind me and I looked around the room that was similar to mine, but decorated with blue accents. A large television was mounted to the wall in front of the futon, the Netflix logo displayed across it.

  "You felt me coming? That's not creepy at all." I walked to the futon and flopped down, suddenly feeling exhausted.

  He let out a small laugh and sat next to me instead of at the other end. "You can't feel us?"

  I shook my head and nodded my chin towards the TV. "What are you watching?"

  I reached for the controller on the coffee table and Oliver plucked it from my fingers before I could get into his account. His face turned slightly pink.

  "Just some show. I was thinking of watching a DVD and then you texted."

  "Liar. You were watching something sexy, weren't you?" I wiggled my eyebrows and giggled as his face turned even more pink.

  Giggling was so out of character for me. I put my hand over my mouth to stop myself. I felt like I was a prepubescent teen with her first crush again.

  "Don't be ashamed of it. Sex is natural. It's part of who we are." I grabbed the controller out of his hand. "And if you’re watching something on Netflix with sex in it, then you need supervision, because who knows what misinformation you're getting."

  "Sex isn't part of who I am. I was made out of thin air." He tried to grab the controller back but I moved it out of his reach. He let out a strangled sigh and crossed his arms.

  I was so used to him being so jovial and smiling all the time that the downturned face and indifferent demeanor made something clench in my belly. I put my hand on his knee.

  "The other night in Levi's room... sex is a part of who you are. A beautiful part of who you are."

  "I didn't even like it though." He ran his hand over his face. "I mean I liked you, but then..."

  "Then you kissed Levi." I searched his face, trying to figure out how he felt about kissing another guy. "How did that make you feel?"

  "I didn't really feel anything." He put his hand over mine and squeezed it lightly. "Tobias told me only I would know what I liked. The shows I've been watching, it didn't seem to matter if it was a man or woman. I thought I felt something, but then Levi..."

  "Sex is a funny thing like that. Sometimes we think something will turn us on and it doesn't, and then something will completely turn us on that we never expected. And what are you doing talking to Tobias about sex anyways?"

  "He's my advisor. He's kind of like a big brother I guess you could say. I kind of feel bad always asking him stupid questions but he seems to know what he's doing."

  "What do you mean by that?"

  "Just that he's your boyfriend, and that one day that I walked in after you had, you know." He looked away at the red lettering bouncing around the screen.

  "We were both stupid that day, and that's not why he and I are together. It's more than sex."

  "What about that Fallen you were with on Tuesday?" He looked back at me, curiosity in his eyes.

  "It's complicated, but he isn't even talking to me anymore. Like I said, sometimes you can't help what you like and don't like. If you like men, well, then you like men. If you like watching men having sex but only like having sex with women, then that's what you like. Don't think you have to fit any mold that you see on television or hear about from your friends. With that being said, how about we watch whatever it is you decided to enlighten yourself with and we can talk about it."

  I pressed the button on the remote and the screensaver switched to the resume watching screen. I bit my lip, stifling back a laugh at the thought of him picking out Sex Education, thinking it was educational.

  "I've been Googling things I’m confused about or texting Tobias to ask."

  I was a little surprised about that but didn't say anything. "I'll be your Google. I've heard this show is pretty funny. Anything called Sex Education is probably not that educational if I'm being honest. Even if it was a show to teach you about sex, American sex education leaves a lot out, or makes you feel guilty for what turns you on."

  He cleared his throat. "Do you have a lot of experience?"

  I shrugged. "Probably average for my age. I mean, if you want to experiment on me, I wouldn't be opposed." I felt my face heat up with my words. Sometimes I just couldn't stop the words from tumbling out.

  "I don't think I'm really ready yet. Plus, you have a boyfriend."

  "Tobias says he doesn't care. I guess we'll find out soon enough."

  "Soon enough?"

  "Yeah." I patted his knee, leaving my hand there, and pressed the play button.

  After a few hours of watching Netflix and me answering way too many personal and nonpersonal questions about sex, Olly and I made our way back to the roof of Ariel Hall and sat against the wal
l surrounding the edge.

  Hanging out with Olly was a good distraction from the nervousness that hit me like a Mack truck as we sat waiting on the roof. There had been a shift with me. Suddenly, I cared about staying in school and seeing it through.

  Olly was naturally a curious person and had questions about everything, not just sex related. When he was created he was only given knowledge of heaven and a very basic knowledge of Earth and its history. He had absolutely no knowledge of the modern human world when he had started at Celestial Academy in the fall.

  Whoever decided to send him to Earth didn't really consider how hard it was going to be on him. It was even worse than a prisoner rejoining society, especially since the Divine 7 had taken him under their dirty wings.

  "Are you worried?" he asked, tracing a circle in my palm. I shut my eyes and put my head back against the wall.

  "A little. I don't know why I care so much about this school. I've never been the school type." I had never enjoyed school, not because I didn't want to learn things or do something with my life, but because traditional teaching styles and the style I needed just didn't go hand in hand. Out of all the years spent in school, only two teachers understood my needs and really helped me.

  "School is hard for you, isn't it?" I felt warmth radiating from the finger making a circle on my hand, causing my shoulders to relax.

  I shrugged. "I have a hard time focusing, if you haven't noticed. I've tried everything. Pills don't work. Weed helped a little, but then again, it's illegal under twenty-one. Plus I don't really want to have to smoke something to focus long enough to read a page of a book."

  "I have noticed the focus thing. I notice a lot." He moved his finger to my wrist and I bit back a whimper. Why did his touch have to feel so good?

  "I've noticed. Thanks for the notebook and pen, by the way. It was thoughtful." I popped open an eye and looked at him; he was watching his finger move on my wrist.

  "I'm sorry for being such a dick."

  We sat in silence for a while before I put my head on his shoulder and nodded off.

  I awoke to him shaking me gently. I rubbed my eyes and squinted towards the middle of the roof where the four angels stood in a circle, talking. I stood and walked towards them, silence falling over the group.

  "Dad? How bad is it?"

  "They’re letting you stay," he said, turning towards me and letting out a sigh. He didn't seem happy.

  "Just like that? They’re letting me stay?" I was shocked. I was so sure they were going to kick my ass to the curb.

  "We aren't at liberty to talk about what was discussed. Just know that you won't be going anywhere, but you need to at least try to stay out of trouble. The Divine 7 will be handled," Chamuel said as he and Haniel walked towards Olly. "Oliver, come with us."

  "Sir," Tobias said, sticking out his hand to my dad. "Hopefully next time we meet it won't be under such circumstances."

  My dad shook his hand and then turned towards me. "I need to get back. Try to stay out of trouble?"

  I hugged him and handed him his clothing. He backed away, extended his wings, and launched off the building.

  I turned to Tobias with my mouth gaping. "They let him keep his wings?"

  "Something major happened in that room. Michael was there too. I wasn't allowed in, but when they came out they were quiet. You should have seen them on our way there though. It was like nothing I could have ever imagined. Laughing, joking with each other. It was like Lucifer had never left. The way back was pretty tense, but they wouldn't tell me what happened."

  I frowned. I didn't like secrets being kept from me and that was certainly what was going on in this case. The question was, was it about me or the fact that Lucifer now had his angel wings back?

  Chapter Thirteen

  Studying. I hated it. There was nothing worse than staring at the pages of a book and trying to make sense of what it was trying to tell you. I had been neglecting my reading all week, and here it was a beautiful Saturday afternoon and I was spending it with my nose buried in a book.

  Tobias was called into a meeting shortly after my dad left and I hadn't heard anything from him in hours. I was pretty sure it had to do with Olly, but there was also the slim possibility it was about me. I can't say I felt bad for him; he chose the wrong group to attach himself to. For all I knew, he could be putting on an act and I should tread carefully.

  I stretched my arms over my head and swiveled back and forth in my desk chair. The sun had set at least an hour ago. How I had managed to study for as long as I had was a miracle. I stood and went to the kitchenette for my beverage of choice and a half-eaten bag of pretzels. I dumped a pile on my math notebook and plopped back in the chair. Getting my GED was probably the hardest thing of all. I sucked at math since I often got distracted in the middle of long equations and had to restart.

  I grabbed my phone and propped my feet up on the desk. I pulled open the texts I had sent Asher and sighed. It was beyond frustrating. My thumb hovered over the call button. I hated talking on the phone but I longed to hear his voice.

  Before I could chicken out, I pressed the button and brought my phone to my ear. One. Two. Three. Four. I moved the phone away from my ear on the fifth ring, ready to end the call, but Asher's voice brought it right back up.

  "Hey." That was it. I should have been excited he actually picked up the phone, but my stomach clenched at his less than stellar 'hey.' He had been ignoring me for days and I had thought our hangout session had gone well. Or had it been a date?

  I was at a loss for words. Me, Danica Marie Deville, at a loss for words.

  "Danica? Are you going to say something or did you just call to be creepy as fuck?" In the background, I heard what sounded like pool balls hitting each other, and music.

  Say something, you idiot. Instead, I hung up and threw my phone on my bed. I covered my face in embarrassment, despite no one being present to make fun of me. I was such a creeper. Who calls someone and just breathes into the phone? Serial killers, that's who.

  I shoved a few pretzels in my mouth and let them sit for a second, the salt melting off and onto my tongue. I didn't like to play games, yet I felt like I was playing games with all three angels. Would they even be on board with me seeing all of them at the same time, or would they eventually make me choose? I should choose, yet I constantly thought about them, dreamed about them. How was that even possible? Did I even want it to be possible?

  I pulled my feet off my desk and went to the bed. I stared at the phone and then picked it up again and hit the green button. This time he answered on the first ring. It was quiet in the background, like he had left wherever he had been.

  "You're an asshole." The words left my lips before I could stop them. Typical.

  He sighed into the phone. "I thought we had already determined that. Look, I've been busy and-"

  "You could have texted me that. A simple 'I'm busy' or even 'fuck off.' Something is better than nothing. I thought we had a good time the other night." I laid back on my pillows and stared at the ceiling fan. I needed to dust the blades; they must have forgotten to clean them before I moved in. Or they didn't care they were dirty.

  "We did up until you didn't listen to me. Do you have any idea..." His voice trailed off and the phone went silent for a brief moment. I checked to make sure the call was still connected. "If you had been hurt or taken, that would have been on me."

  "I'm not a child and I'm not going to apologize for following you."

  "I didn't ask you to apologize. Besides that, it's too dangerous to be around me." He sounded dejected. I bet if I could have seen him, he would have been shoving his hand through his wavy locks.

  I snorted. "Let me be the judge of that. Are you going to let me come over so we can finish our date?"

  "Usually a date all happens on one day, not with four days in between. Is it really a good idea for you to come over?"

  So, it was a date to him after all. It didn't slip my attention that he knew exactly ho
w many days ago we had our date. It probably wasn't a good idea for me to go over to his place, but bad ideas never stopped me before.

  "I can be there in about thirty minutes." My voice sounded hopeful.

  He sighed. "If I don't answer, I'll be on the roof. Just let yourself in."

  I couldn't stop the squeal that escaped my lips after hanging up with him. What the hell was happening to me?

  I ended up stuck in Saturday night traffic and it took me almost an hour before I turned into the area Asher lived. He lived in an ideal spot, surrounded by buildings being revitalized and on a street that had come alive with restaurants and bars.

  I pulled my car next to his truck and took several calming breaths before getting out. I really liked this guy, despite his smart mouth and avoidance of me.

  I walked up the metal stairs to his door and knocked before trying the handle. He'd left it unlocked; I guess when you can snap necks so easily, keeping the door unlocked isn’t an issue. I stepped inside, closing the door behind me and flipping the lock out of habit. The massive room was dark besides a small lamp near the bed and undercabinet lighting that reflected off the metal surface of the counters.

  I set my purse on the table and walked through the empty room to the stairs leading to the roof. The only sound was the clink of my shoes on the steps and my thudding heart.

  I walked onto the roof and smiled at the sight of him leaning on the rail, his forearms on the black metal. There was a small garden in one corner of the roof and a sitting area with a fire pit and a few chairs in another. There was also a hot tub with a gazebo covering it.

  I approached him and cleared my throat. He didn't move from his spot, but turned his head to the side to acknowledge me before turning back towards the skyline. It was a beautiful view from the roof; part of the skyline lit up between the buildings and the fairly unpopulated area allowed just enough darkness to see the stars.