Blessed: Academy of the Seraph

by Brandi Elledge

  Whatever was going on between the commander and Trev, I didn’t want to be a part of it. One, it wasn’t my fight; and two, I might have to make a run for it soon. Plus, I didn’t want to witness Trev getting his ass served to him. Trev was, without a shadow of a doubt, the best in class in weapons training and hand-to-hand combat. He could beat all the students without trying, but I had a feeling he wasn’t anywhere close to beating the man on stage.

  I focused on the old lady as she turned over a card. She then reached for the girl’s hands. Within seconds, the older woman was smiling as she held up a card with an empress on it. Then she held up one finger for the commander.

  The commander said, “Congratulations, Angie, you’re a demi. You come from Michael’s line, with a category one healing.”

  The kid who sat on the other side of me mumbled, “That’s weak. If you get hurt, a first-aid kit will probably help you better than her.”

  His friend in the second row of seats shushed him. “It could be worse. At least they are letting her stay.”

  I looked over at Trev to see if he heard them. He gave me a wink. “You’re going to be fine.”

  I whispered, “Why are you sitting here with us if you’re wanting to remain neutral?”

  He whispered back, “I like ruffling the commander’s feathers.”

  I didn’t pay attention as the kid who sat next to me was called up. I really wanted to know the history between Trev and the commander.

  The lady shuffled the cards, and my mind drifted. Maybe if I was a one, they would kick me out of the academy. Wouldn’t that be nice? I mean, what could a level one bring to the table? I would learn to be a master at bottling up my powers. I had passed a darken wearing the Empowered Academy uniform once before on the street and they hadn’t noticed anything extraordinary about me.

  My eyes landed on the commander. I had a feeling that he didn’t intend on calling Trev up. Earlier, he had said there were four new blessed, yet there were five of us sitting in the row. I was pretty sure that was why Trev jumped up and headed toward the stage before the next student could be called.

  He had so much swagger as he walked up the side steps to the stage. He didn’t greet the commander like the others; instead, he smirked. The commander never showed any kind of emotion as Trev walked in front of him. They definitely hated one another. Maybe it was an alpha male thing? I just hoped Trev didn’t take it too far with his cockiness.

  I laughed as Trev sat down in the adjacent seat and gave the older woman a smile as she shuffled the cards. When she didn’t react, he added a wink, causing me to laugh. His flirting had no boundaries. After a few seconds, the older woman smiled at Trev before she winked back. The charmer was getting charmed. She pointed to the card on the far left.

  The commander said, “What a surprise. It looks like you are Nephilim. Born from one of the original fallen and have been touched by Michael.”

  Trev stood and did a mock bow. “Everyone’s favorite bodyguard,” he said, and then he gave me an encouraging nod.

  The kids behind me gasped, breaking my eye contact with Trev. I looked over to see the older lady holding up a number five for a power level.

  Trev crossed his arms over his chest as he smirked at the commander, who didn’t look at all impressed as he announced that Trev could find his seat.

  Almost all the kids were clapping and cheering as Trev exited off the stage.

  The commander wasn’t shocked that Trev was Nephilim or a level five. What was I missing?

  The kid next to me almost squealed when he said, “Can you believe that? An actual Nephilim. That’s crazy.”

  Everyone was whispering with excitement as if Trev was a celebrity.

  He sat down next to me and squeezed my knee. “Looks like you’re up, beautiful.”

  Just then, the commander called my name.

  This was mortifying, having to go up on stage in front of so many people. I kept my head down as I passed the commander and found my way to the seat. My hands shook as the elderly woman shuffled the cards, and then she reshuffled. It was like she could feel my anxiety from where she was and wanted to drag this out. She flipped over a card, and then another. She kept flipping until the whole damn deck was facing up. Then her hand shook as she reached for mine. She closed her eyes briefly, and then just stared at me.

  After fifteen seconds that felt more like an hour, I looked over to the commander, whose brows were crinkled together. The crowd started to whisper, but not with excitement like how they had with Trev. Oh no. Whatever was happening wasn’t good.

  The commander walked over to us and squatted in front of the older lady. “What is it, Sariel?”

  She shook her head. “More than one archangel has laid their hands on her. She is part of the prophecy.”

  That didn’t sound good

  “What level am I?” Please say one, please say one.

  “You don’t have a level.”

  I let out a breath of relief.

  “There is no way to rate what you are.”

  Well, shit.

  I looked at the commander. “Maybe it’s a mistake?”

  He didn’t answer me. What’s worse? He didn’t look shocked by Sariel’s announcement. Instead, he whispered back to Sariel, “Has she been touched by a darken?”

  She shook her head then told him, “We’ve taken too long. They will know something is up. Announce her as a demi, but give her a middle of the road power.”

  “Why would she lie?” I asked.

  “To protect you,” the commander said as he stood up.

  He faced the group of students. “Students, it looks as if we have another demi, but we are unsure of which line she comes from. Sariel has narrowed it down to two.”

  The crowd erupted into whispers and murmurs.

  Sariel pointed to the card of Gabriel, the beautiful angel with long, brown hair and a warm smile. Her card read, “Judgment.” Then Sariel pointed to the card of Azrael, formidable warrior who stood proud. The bottom of his card read, “Death.” When Sariel then held up three fingers, the commander congratulated me in front of the audience.

  I stood numbly from my chair and made my way back down to my seat. No one cheered for me the way they had done Trev.

  The old lady said I had been blessed by more than one angel. How was that even possible?

  I sat down in my chair, ignoring the murmurs around me. I wasn’t sure if the kids were buying that dear old Sariel was confused by whom I’d been touched by. Sweat was dripping down my back.

  Did she say prophecy? Oh, hell no. I needed out of this school, like yesterday. I didn’t know precisely what all this meant for me, but I knew it wasn’t good. I had to escape.

  Immediately after the commander dismissed us, we all went toward the dining hall, where there were long tables shoved together with food laid upon them buffet style. I went through the motions of preparing a plate, even though the thought of eating right at this moment made my stomach queasy.

  Hannah snagged us an empty table, and I shuffled toward it in a daze. Trev sat down on my right and Hannah on my left. Remy gave me some kind of hand gesture to let me know she’d be back later. One could only hope she was going off to wreak havoc on “the crew.”

  Hannah peppered Trev with questions. “So, how do you feel about being a Nephilim?”

  He gave her a shrug. “I don’t feel any different.”

  Hannah blushed before turning to me. “And you! The mighty oracle is confused over your lineage. What was all that about?”

  I shrugged. “I guess, because my powers haven’t fully manifested yet, it’s hard to decipher.”

  “That is what the commander would like us to believe,” Trev scoffed. “I’d like to point out that a lot of students’ powers haven’t manifested yet, but they still know what angel has touched them.”

  I stopped pushing the food around on my plate. “I’m just as confused as you guys.”

  He narrowed his eyes on me before he gave me a s
mile. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I really just don’t trust the commander.”

  “Why’s that?”

  Trev tapped his fingers on the table as he looked in the distance. I wasn’t sure if he had heard me. “Not all is as it seems here. Look at all these kids.”

  We all took our time looking around the cafeteria. Everyone was in their own little groups, laughing and talking. A band was starting up, and kids were heading toward the dance floor.

  “What exactly are we supposed to be looking at?” I asked.

  “They are all so happy to be here. They think that they are blessed to have some amount of angel in them. They have no clue. We’re all just pawns.”

  I shared a look with Hannah. She appeared just as confused as I was. I knew from my dreams that this place wasn’t what it was cracked up to be, but what exactly did Trev know and how did he know it?

  “What are you trying to say?”

  He ran a tired hand over his face. “Forget it.” He pushed back from the table and held a hand out to me. “Will you dance with me?”

  “Um …”

  His eyes twinkled. “Come on; you’re all dolled up, music is playing. Dance with me.”

  I put my hand in his, and Hannah wiggled her eyebrows at me, making me laugh. I followed him through the crowd and out onto the dance floor where he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me in close as the fast beat slowed into a sweet melancholy. For a minute, neither one of us said anything.

  Finally, he broke the silence. “You always look beautiful, but tonight, you look ravishing.”

  I dipped my head to hide the blush. “Thank you.”

  “You know you can tell me anything, right?”

  I nodded. “Yeah, you, too. Like what’s the story between you and the commander and what is the reason that you are really here.”

  He sighed. “No, I refuse to ruin the night.”

  After the song ended, he asked, “Would you like some punch?”

  “Sure.”

  As I watched him walk through the crowd, my heart thrummed and I knew who had come up behind me.

  Without looking, I said, “Hello, Commander.”

  “You want to dance?”

  That had my head swiveling. I took in his massive chest with a tattoo peeking out of the tuxedo collar. Then I let my eyes slowly travel up to his face. He rewarded me with a knowing smirk.

  My insides clenched with desire. No one should be allowed to be that hot. It was a sin. And there was no way that I could press up against him and keep my wits or be able to walk away without looking like a simpering fool.

  “Nope, I think I’m good.”

  His smile grew. “I can promise I dance better than him, too.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Must everything be a competition?”

  “Only when the prize is worthy.”

  “Isn’t there some kind of rules against teachers asking students to dance?”

  His eyes were twinkling. I was pretty sure he was trying not to laugh. “If I wasn’t immortal, technically, we would be almost the same age. Also, we’re fighting a war against the demons and the darken. Life can be short; why not enjoy every moment while you can?”

  He had a point. One that I chose to ignore. “Are you planning on telling me how it is possible that I have been touched by more than one angel?”

  He grimaced. “It’s complicated. I’ll try to explain as much as I can. Tomorrow, though. Tonight, we celebrate.

  “Well, in that case, I need air.”

  He grabbed my elbow before I could retreat. “Tell me, do you have dreams?”

  When I was younger, I had my first dream of the academy. I remembered it vividly because it was a nightmare. There were teenagers killing teenagers to make sure they didn’t become immortal. I didn’t remember the students, but I remembered the blood. It flowed like a river through the halls.

  The depression that I had felt after the dream had closed over me like a casket. For weeks, I felt saddened by the lack of humanity, knowing somewhere deep inside of me that the dream had been real.

  I nodded. “I’ve had enough to know that I’m not safe here.”

  His eyes turned into slits. “I’d like to know more of these dreams.”

  Tossing his words back to him, I said, “Perhaps tomorrow. Tonight is for celebrating.”

  I jerked out of his hold and began to weave my way through the crowd until I bumped into a kid that I vaguely remember from weapons training.

  “Sorry,” I said as he stabilized me from toppling onto the floor. Damn high heels.

  “Hey, no worries. I’ve actually been meaning to talk to you. I’m Jase, by the way.” He stuck out a hand, and I shook it.

  “Gabriella.”

  “Yeah, I know,” he said then blushed.

  “So, what’s up?”

  “I’m fully blessed from Haniel’s line.”

  I looked at his auburn hair and freckles. That made sense. “Oh, so cool. So is Hannah.”

  “Yeah,” he said absentmindedly. “So, I get visions sometimes, you know. It doesn’t mean that my visions come true. I actually don’t tell people of them, because I get worried that I’ll somehow change the future and make it worse, but …” He squeezed the back of his neck as he looked down at his shoes.

  I laid a hand on his arm. “Jase, you saw something bad, didn’t you?”

  He nodded.

  “It involved me, didn’t it?”

  “Yeah, earlier today, I had a vision of you in that red dress, and you went out to get fresh air. That’s why I’ve been standing at the doors. Someone hurts you bad.” He coughed into his hand. “You don’t make it.”

  Chills ran down my spine. “I died?”

  He closed his eyes for a second and let out a groan. “See? I’ve just made it worse. They see you talking to me. They are going to spike a drink; offer it to you. You’ll be dead by morning.” He gripped my arm. “I can’t see their faces. They were sent here, though, to destroy the fully blessed. It doesn’t make sense though, because you’re a demi. I have to go tell the commander. Come with me.”

  “I have to check on Hannah.”

  “Don’t drink anything and stay by her side. I’ll grab the commander.”

  I nodded then ran to find Hannah.

  Anger rose inside of me. I tried to dial it back, but I was pissed. Someone planned on killing me tonight?

  Hannah was still sitting at the table, eating her weight in lasagna, when I slammed my hand down on the table, startling her.

  “I need to escape.”

  She looked worried for me. “But Gabriella—”

  “Jase just witnessed my murder, Hannah. Someone is trying to kill me. If they don’t succeed tonight, they will keep trying. I have to go.”

  Hannah’s face turned paler than it normally was as she shook her head. “No. This is crazy. Please don’t do this.”

  “I have to.”

  “Then I’ll go with you.”

  “No.” I stopped her from standing by placing a hand on her shoulder. “What if you’re right, and we die by the time we’re eighteen because some demon found us? I can’t live with myself knowing that something happened to you.”

  Her eyes watered. “Yeah, well, I’m not letting you go by yourself. End of discussion. If you’re going, then I’m going, too.” She stood from the table. “Come on; we can slip out the back. I have an idea where the portal is. It’s a total guess on my part, but it’s all we got to go on right now.”

  I scanned the crowd for Remy and couldn’t find her. She was going to be pissed that I left without telling her. I could feel in my gut that I would see her again, though. This was my chance. I had to take it.

  “No one saw us,” I said as I followed her outside, gathering the end of my dress in my hands.

  I had to hand it to Hannah. For as tall and lanky as she was, she was silent on her feet as we headed for the shadowy woods.

  My decision should have already been made once that woman, Sariel, had said I
had been touched by more than one archangel. Then the commander had lied to everyone yet claimed it was to protect me. Now here I was, trying to escape my murderer.

  Jase’s words reverberated through me. I knew he was telling the truth. Just as I knew that, if I stayed on these grounds tonight, I’d be dead before the morning. I also knew that my dreams would soon come true.

  No, I couldn’t stay here. Something bad was coming. I could feel it.

  I ran harder through the woods. As if Hannah could pick up on my anxiety, she ran faster, too. This was it. It was now or never.

  We moved like lightning through the dark forest. With one hand, I held the end of my dress up around my thighs so it wouldn’t snag on the underbrush. With the other hand, I held my shoes. I could barely walk in high heels, much less jog through the forest at nighttime.

  I tripped over a log that almost sent me sprawling. Luckily, I caught myself on my hands and knees.

  Hannah helped me up. “Are you okay?”

  “Nothing broken.”

  After twenty minutes of jogging, Hannah stopped at the edge of the forest and pointed between two trees. “While looking for wild ginseng one day, I found this. Do you see it? There is a small sliver that you can barely see in the full sun, so it’s impossible to see now, but it’s there. It looks like we have to climb up on the rock to the right and jump toward the tree on the left. It should exit us into the national park. There are wards all around the borders, so I’m guessing someone has been alerted by now. They will send a group of soldiers to check. We need to make it as far away from the border as we can.”

  This was my chance to escape, and I was going to take it.

  I climbed up on the rock and jumped first, Hannah following me. With a thud, we landed in the national forest.

  Not having time to take a break, we started to jog again, tripping over small branches and logs. My feet were a bloody mess when we finally stumbled out of the woods and onto a trail. Then we headed down the narrow dirt path, arm in arm. When the ground leveled out, we broke apart from one another. It was easier to run now without so many obstacles in our way. The cardio class had really paid off.