“What should we do?” I asked Luke, concerned that maybe something went wrong.
“Just wait.”
A moment later, the lights around the pad turned green again and began beeping rapidly. Rider then suddenly appeared in the launch pod, smiling brightly.
“There,” he said, throwing his arms up. He quickly stepped off of the pad, its lights turning yellow. “Alex will be coming through momentarily.” Just then, the pad lights turned green and beeped like before. An angel suddenly appeared on the launch pad, smiling as well.
“I live for that rush,” the angel said, smiling mischievously.
“Thrilling, isn’t it?” replied Rider. My shoulder blades began to ache slightly. Glinda’s elixir respite beverage seemed to be wearing off.
“Luke, Sol, this is Alex. He is an angel working at a center similar to the ARC in Los Angeles. It’s called the LARF.”
Luke reached forward and shook his hand. I followed suit and was now able to get a good look at him. Alex was incredibly handsome. He appeared to be slightly older than myself, possibly seventeen or eighteen. Tall, with brown hair, full lips and hazel eyes, he seemed able to see right through to your soul. His tan indicated he spent quite a bit of time outdoors, or was that his aura coming through? His wings were light brown with blonde highlights throughout. It reminded me of my hair. His aura was tawny in color, warm and inviting. He wore black slacks, with a white button-up shirt tucked in. He even smelled as delicious as he looked; emitting a sweet and musky fragrance I had never smelled before. Rather than shake my hand, he took it and kissed it gently. I was mesmerized.
“Sol, I’ve been waiting quite some time to meet you,” he said, smiling while his eyes pierced through me.
I blushed and looked away, unable to hide my smile. “Thank you,” I mumbled. Luckily, Rider jumped in to save me.
“I was just showing them how to activate the ATS. I’d like for both of them to give it a try. Afterword, we can break for lunch.”
“Wonderful,” said Alex, still looking at me.
“Luke, you’ll go first. Remember to enter the password, launch destination, and finally, the launch code. Select this same exact pod. You both will be transported to the Los Angeles location. An associate there will then launch you back.”
“Where exactly are we and the ARC located?” asked Luke.
“A place known as Manhattan.”
“Oh.” Luke went over to the desk and followed Rider’s instructions. The pad lit up again and the countdown began. He ran over and jumped onto the standing pad. He winked at me and crossed his arms. I wished I was as confident as he clearly was. He then turned yellow and disappeared. Rider explained that Espials always turned yellow when transporting. A few moments later, Luke reappeared, smiling from ear to ear.
“How was it?” I asked, my heart beating rapidly.
“It was amazing!” he replied, beaming.
“Great job, Luke,” said Rider. “Did you encounter any problems there or back?”
“No. I arrived at the Los Angeles center and everyone there clapped when I appeared. They then sent me straight back.”
“Wonderful. Sol, your turn.”
I nodded and walked over to the desk, trembling with nervousness but determined to get it done.
“Do you remember the steps?” asked Rider when I hesitated in front of the hologram.
“Yes.” I entered the password and the launch destination. For the launch code, I entered 112056 and red lights and alarms began flashing throughout the room. Rider ran over and quickly typed in a series of commands. Everything went silent again.
“Sorry,” I blushed.
“Try again,” he said, raising an eyebrow.
I re-entered the launch code correctly and the pad’s lights lit up as the countdown began. I ran over and stepped into the pod. I faced Luke, Rider, and Alex. They were all watching me, arms crossed. I took a deep breath as the last three seconds were counted. I then saw everything around me flash white and then go black. I blinked and when I opened my eyes, I was standing in a launch pod, but in a different room. Five angels were in the room smiling at me. I smiled back and they began to clap and cheer for me. One neon pink angel stepped toward me.
“Glad you made it, Sol!”
“Thank you,” I replied, happy that I had made the trip without incident.
“We’re going to send you back now.” She went over to a hologram desk and spoke the launch destination. “Manhattan.” She then turned to me and waved goodbye. Right as I waved back, I was surrounded by the flash of white light again. I then found myself back in the ARC’s ATS room.
“That was unlike anything I’ve ever seen before,” said Rider to Alex, both shaking their heads.
“Same. She truly is an arch.”
I stepped out of the pod and walked toward them.
“What happened?” I asked.
“Well,” began Rider, “we’ve never seen anyone turn white before. But it was more than just you turning white. The entire room lit up and the moment you disappeared, a bolt of lightning flashed in your place.”
“How is that even possible?” I asked, confused and unable to comprehend what he was describing. “I didn’t feel anything.”
“We’re not sure it’s a bad thing. It’s just something we’ve never witnessed before. We believe it has to do with you being an arch, that’s all.” He tried to sound convincing, but even I could see a trace of concern in his eyes.
I looked over at Luke, who was staring at me. He quickly looked away and ran his fingers through his hair. Alex came over and placed a hand on my shoulder.
“I think you’re going to be very useful in helping us, Sol,” he said seriously.
“I can only hope I’m of use.”
“That was quite an exciting morning lesson, wouldn’t you say so, Luke?” said Rider. “Let’s head to lunch and update the three.”
“Who’s ‘the three?’” I asked.
“Oh it’s everyone’s nickname for Glinda, Sacra, and Div.”
“I get it,” I replied.
The four of us made our way to the entry. Rider turned around and made a quick motion with his hand. The hologram desk shut down and the lights under the launch pod turned back to red. The door closed behind us as we looked up the long staircase. Alex put his arm around me and without a word, flew us up to the top. After we landed, his arm lingered around my middle and he looked down at me.
“Sol. Soleil.” He looked intently into my eyes. I felt myself become warm and tingly inside as we gazed at each other. He then looked down and removed his arm from around me. At that moment, Rider came up holding Luke.
“Ready to eat?” he asked.
“Starved,” answered Luke, who glared at Alex.
Rider had Luke open the door and we entered the lobby. We walked over to the welcome desk where Ace was comparing wingspans with Glinda. My mother stood behind the desk, judging them both. Sacra and Div were sitting on the desk, looking on laughing. Div noticed us first and flew off the desk in our direction.
“How’d it go?” she asked Rider.
“Well. In fact, it went extraordinarily well. Luke was solid and we can definitely expect great things from Sol,” he said proudly.
“We’ll see about that during Combat,” she replied, looking directly at me. She then turned toward the others at the desk. “Let’s head to lunch.” Everyone started making their way to the elevators.
CHAPTER 12
We rode up to the rooftop, yet from a different elevator than the one that lead to Rider’s quarters. It deposited us onto a rooftop café. The entire room was enclosed in glass, similar to a greenhouse. Rectangular tables lined the entire outside perimeter of the rooftop. Each was stacked with tiered trays brimming with food. Circular table populated the middle of the café with various angels sitting and eating. Only one table was clear and Alex spotted it immediately.
“Here let’s grab this table before someone else does.” He floated over to it a
nd pulled out two chairs. “Sol, I have a seat for you right next to me.”
I walked over and sat down. My mom sat to my right, with Glinda, Sacra and Div taking seats to her right as well. Luke, Alex, and Rider remained standing, announcing that they would bring us food from the buffet. After they left, my mother turned and asked me how the ATS training went. I began explaining what happened when Glinda, Sacra and Div tuned in. When I got to the part about the lightning during my transport, Div spoke up.
“I’ve only seen something like that once before in my lifetime.”
“When was that?” I asked.
“When your great-grandfather was killed. When the nuclear reactor detonated, he turned into a bright flash of white light. As he vanished, a bolt of lightning struck the exact spot where he was flying.”
We all sat quietly for a moment. I imagined what that must have looked like. Suddenly, what she said fully registered.
“You were there when he died?”
“Yes,” she replied, looking down at the table. “I will never forget that day for as long as I live. He was a great man.” I saw the tears begin to well up in her eyes. She quickly got up and ran back inside.
“Your grandfather trained her. Saved her, really,” said Sacra. “She was an orphan when he found her; just before her fifteenth birthday and unsheathing began. She looked up to him like a father.”
At that moment, Alex, Rider and Luke brought over three large serving trays piled high with food and beverages. They placed them on the middle of the table and everyone began digging in. Meats unfamiliar to me tasted savory and delicious. Sweets I had never eaten before were stuffed into my mouth as quickly as I could fit them. Bubbly and fizzy drinks of various colors dribbled down my face as I practically inhaled each beverage. Everyone started talking about the funny things that happened to them when they became angels. I continued eating and drinking while listening and laughing along. Soon I felt stuffed and somewhat nauseous. Alex leaned over as I sat back and pushed a plate away from me.
“You sure that you’ve finished?” he teased.
“Ha-ha,” I tried joking back. I then hiccupped loudly. My hands flew to cover my mouth as I looked around in horror.
Everyone at the table began laughing and Alex shook his head.
“Well now I know you have a weakness. It seems to be food.”
I looked back at him and laughed. “So if you don’t mind my asking, exactly how old are you?”
“I’m seventeen,” he responded.
“Oh you’re young!” I said.
“I guess so.”
“When did you learn that you were an angel?”
“I’ve known my entire life.”
“Wow. Is it easier to live in Los Angeles than here?”
“In some ways, yes. Sato does not have a stronghold there, so angels and Espials can walk freely without fear of harm. We don’t interact with the humans because they really shouldn’t know about our existence. Sato hasn’t put any procedures in place to try to change the way we live. But it’s only a matter of time before his reach extends there as well.”
I nodded in agreement. Rider then stood and announced that it was time for me and Luke to head to Combat and Weaponry. I said goodbye to everyone at the table and headed back to the lobby with Luke. We found Div at the welcome desk, arms crossed, face stern. Without a word she turned and led us through a door across from the ATS stairwell entry. We found ourselves in an octagon-shaped room. Along the walls were various weapons. The entire floor was covered with a black mat. Rubber figures of humans, angels, and demons dotted the room. I made my way to a wall mount holding various bladed weapons. Out of nowhere, something struck my back and I flew forward, landing face-first onto the ground.
CHAPTER 13
“You must always be ready to meet your worst nightmare,” said Div from above me.
I blinked several times and crawled onto my hands and knees. I coughed, trying to recover from the wind being knocked out of me. Suddenly, a foot pushed down on my back, flattening me against the floor again.
“I said, always be ready to meet your worst nightmare.”
I tried to scramble to my feet. Once upright, I kept blinking. I felt dizzy and the room was tilting to one side. I put my hands out to try to regain my balance. My shoulders were throbbing immensely. Div stood in front of me, smiling. Her wings flapped menacingly, making a whipping sound. She was holding a black rubber bat. Luke was standing to the side, seemingly scared as he looked on. In a flash, Div whacked the bat on the left side of my torso, then my right. I fell to my knees. She gave me one more whack, square in my stomach. I leaned over and vomited all over the mat. I began to heave everything I had eaten during lunch. I could hear Div howling in laughter. Luke must have started to make his way over because I heard her stop him.
“Leave her!” she snapped. “There may be a day when she’s all alone, with no one around to save her. She must learn to fend for herself.”
I had stopped retching, yet was still crouched over trying to catch my breath.
“Get up.”
I shakily stood up, right hand on my belly. I used my left hand to wipe my mouth. I stood in front of her and tried to focus on her face. She then disappeared.
I blinked, still dizzy and wondering if my eyesight was starting to falter. She then reappeared right in front of me, her face only inches away from mine.
“Sometimes, in order to see you must remain unseen.” She said with a smirk. “Class dismissed.” She then turned and walked out of the room.
I turned to Luke in a state of shock.
“What was that?” I asked, completely irate yet weak.
“I think she was trying to make a point,” he said softly.
“And what point was that?”
“I have no clue.”
I turned and looked at the mess that I had left on the mat. At that moment Rider came in.
“I saw what happened from the surveillance cameras,” he said, pointing above our heads. We turned and looked, spotting a camera in the corner above the sword display. “I will be overseeing Combat and Weaponry tomorrow while she takes the day off.”
I nodded glumly.
“Don’t worry, that will be taken care of.” He nodded toward my mess. Ace soon entered with some cleaning supplies.
“No, Ace. I can…” I began.
“Don’t worry. It’s ok,” he said. “It would happen to anyone.” He smiled at me and gave me a quick pat on the arm.
“Thanks.”
Rider, Luke and I exited the room. They headed to the elevators, while I made my way to the Treatment Department. A pastel yellow nurse angel cleaned me up and gave me a pill that calmed my stomach. I then rode up to Rider’s quarters where he explained how Glinda and Sacra would begin clarifying the unsheathing process. We entered his living room where the couches and coffee table had been cleared. On the rug lay a purple mat, several clay jars, a cloth, and a lace fan. Incense was burning from the kitchen and I spotted Sacra applying an ointment onto her hands. Rider whispered briefly in Glinda’s ear, who nodded and began removing the covers from the jars.
“Luke, you’ll join me downstairs where I can continue giving you a tour of the ARC.” Rider then left with Luke. I stood watching as Glinda, kneeling on the floor, removed the last jar’s lid and arranged them all in a line on the right side of the mat.
“Come,” she said to me. I walked over to the mat and knelt down on one end. I peered into the jar closest to my right and saw that it contained a thick green gel. On the jar was a light sketch of one wing. I glanced at the others and noticed that they all had an outline of a body part sketched along their sides.
“Lie down on your stomach,” Glinda instructed.
I did as she instructed, keeping my arms at my sides. She scooted toward my left side and cut the back of my jean top, folding the material over. I could feel a cool breeze brush across my back, sending a slight shiver down my spine.
“Celtic or Japanese?”
she asked.
“What?”
“Pick one. Celtic or Japanese?”
“What does that even mean?”
She giggled and shook her head. “Just pick one.”
“Ok. The second one.”
Glinda then began humming a song softly while running her hands over my hair. Sacra walked over and knelt down on my right side.
“Sol,” said Sacra gently. “Your wings are just starting to breach. We’re going to apply a salve over them to help them ease out naturally. It’s going to sting a bit, but we will give you something to help with the pain after. Once that’s done, another ointment will be applied along your spine. Everyone’s aura is centrally located within their spine, so this will help your aura maintain its pigmentation as long as you live. Finally, you’ll need to drink a special elixir over the next three days until your wings unsheathe. This drink gives your feathers vibrancy and strength.”
“Ok.” I replied. I concentrated on my breath as I watched Sacra dip her hands into the first jar with the wing sketch. She leaned over and began massaging the green gel onto my shoulder blades. I inhaled sharply, wincing in pain.
“Just keep focusing on your breath,” said Glinda soothingly and continued humming.
I bit my bottom lip and inhaled, counting to five. I then exhaled counting to five. I repeat this process as Sacra continued reaching into the jar and passed more gel onto my shoulder blades. As she worked the gel into my back, I began to ponder about my education, particularly history. I thought I knew a lot about the world we lived in, but everyone kept making references to things and places I never knew existed.
After ten minutes of continuous massaging, Sacra finally stopped. She grabbed a cloth and wiped her hands clean. I then saw her reach into another jar. A spinal column was sketched on its side. She pulled out thick black goo and worked it into her hands, forming a ball. She then proceeded to place it on the small of my back, right onto my spine. I felt warmth creep up my spine from where the ball rested. Her fingers rolled the ball up and down my spine, warmth now spreading throughout my back. I could feel the ball becoming smaller and smaller as it rolled back and forth. Soon it was gone, dissipated into my vertebrae. A cool wind was blowing across my back and I could make out Glinda’s shadow waving the lace fan over me. When done, she pinned my shirt together and began helping Sacra clean up the jars.
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