by L. L Hunter
I opened my eyes to the sound of some persistent and annoying knocking.
“Go away.” I yelled, but they didn’t listen. After a few moments, the door opened, and my sister, Cecilia poked her head in.
“Asher, they’ll be here soon. Get ready.”
I turned to look at her. “Who’s coming?”
“The Nephilim who are coming to stay with us, remember? I expect you to make a good impression.”
“Yeah, yeah.” I slumped back on my bed and checked my phone.
“I mean it. You haven’t raked the leaves yet. Do you want Mother Superior on your arse?”
That did it. I swung my legs over the side of the bed. “I’m coming.” She smiled and gave me that disapproving look she always gave me. Geez. She wasn’t my mother, but she might as well have been. We were raised here in the Michaelite Headquarters, in London. The Michaelites are a society of humans who work with the Nephilim, helping to protect them. But there was a rumour they were secretly plotting against the Nephilim, to once again over populate them. I had been raised a Michaelite so I should have been calling myself one, but I didn’t. I pulled on my jeans, a clean shirt, and boots and I headed down to the garden.
The brothers and sisters said I had a natural ability with the plants, thus why I had been put in charge of maintenance of the garden. I didn’t mind the job. The garden had always been a tranquil place where I would lose my thoughts while I raked the leaves. So as I began to rake the fallen leaves, putting them in neat piles, I cranked the volume on my iPod. I pondered of the Nephilim who would soon be coming to stay here. I wondered if one of them might be my age. We needed some more young blood around here. Other than Cecilia and I, there were two more children who lived at the convent—Jazmine, who preferred to be called Jaz, was fifteen, and her younger brother Markus, who was ten. Jazmine was pretty enough, and I had even considered dating her just for something to do. But she was boring and really wasn’t my type. For one, she could be a major bitch. For two, she was blonde. Blonde bitches were not my type. So I really prayed that one of the Nephilim who would be arriving would be someone my age.
The humidity in the garden would get to me, and soon I would be sweating profusely. The garden had been built like a greenhouse and held mostly tropical plants, but some English plants, as well. I didn’t know how the British plants were able to survive in this heat. I walked over to the fountain and splashed water on my face. I had always loved the fountain. It had been a gift from the Nephilim government to say we had an alliance. It was made of solid marble and atop the fountain was an angel. I just couldn’t stop looking at it, most of the time.
As I was taking a break, I felt the urge to look up at the house. I don’t know what told me to do it, but I am glad I did because peering out one of the top windows was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. She had dark hair, and the most stunning pale blue eyes. I had never seen her before, so I figured she had to be one of the Nephilim. Excited, I just smiled. My prayers had been answered. She watched me, and it made me feel warm. I took another drink, popped my headphones in, and pretended to work. I could feel her eyes burning into me, burning through my soul so I couldn’t concentrate. I wondered when I would get the chance to meet her. After a few moments, she disappeared from the window. My heart rate began to increase. Where did she go? Damn.
I continued with cleaning up the leaves, and I took them to the compost bin. That’s when I heard it. The back door squeaked open, and someone came running out. I could hear fast footfalls on the gravel, and I knew they were heading towards the maze, so I put my wheelbarrow down and followed.
Chapter Three
Eden
The air outside in the garden was humid, which seemed weird, I had thought, for London. I looked up to see if there were a roof overhead but didn’t see one. There were too many trees. I walked along the hedged walkway towards an arch. As I stepped under it, and turned to the right, I realised was heading into a maze. How would I ever find my way out of there, I thought to myself. So I simply shrugged to myself and smiled as I decided—I wouldn’t.
As I rounded another hedge corner, I heard whistling. I picked up my pace and jogged in the direction of the musical whistle. Unable to find the source, and after only a few minutes, I began to panic.
Just as I would start to think the maze might never end, and afraid I might just keep running deeper into the heart of it, I heard a crunch on the gravel behind me. I stopped running and turned. It’s him. It must be. My heart faltered as I saw him. He was even more gorgeous in real life. His eyes, were a greyish blue, paler than mine, and his hair lighter, almost blonde.
He smiled sending butterflies spreading their wings inside me. “Hey, I thought I heard someone back here,” he says.
“Hi.” I breathed. Did I sound out of breath?
“Are you lost?” he asked.
“Uh… no. I was just um… exploring. It’s a beautiful garden.”
“Thank you. I look after it.”
“Really? So all this is your handiwork?” I asked, as I gestured to the gardens around me.
“Yes. So you must be the new girl? My sister told me about you.” He said, his eyes studying my body. Was he checking me out?
“What did she say about me?” I was wary, and wondered if he knew?
“Just that there would be some visitors coming to stay here.”
“Is that all?”
“No. She also said you were Nephilim. Is that true?”
I swallowed. If that were all he knew, I guess it was okay. “Yes. It’s true.”
“And what brings you to the Sanctuary? From what I’ve heard, Nephilim only come here when they’re in need of our help.”
“My mother thinks The Michaelites can help me, but I’m not so sure.”
“Help with what?”
“I don’t feel comfortable telling you. I don’t even know your name.”
He chuckled. “Sorry, that’s so rude of me. I was raised better. I’m Asher.” He said as he offered his hand for me to shake. But I knew I couldn’t take it. I crossed my arms in front of my body. He took his hand back and awkwardly ran it through his wavy hair. In the humidity, it stuck up at all angles. I felt bad, but it was for his safety. I couldn’t risk it.
“I’m Eden.” I replied. I at least had to give him something to chew on.
“Now that we’re better acquainted, will you tell me?” he asked. He hadn’t given up. I shook my head with a smirk.
“Do you use that line on all the girls you meet?” I said. He looked stunned.
“That wasn’t a pick up line.” He replied. Poor guy. I turned away and began to head back the way I had come. It worked. He followed me.
“Wait. So you aren’t going to tell me at all?”
“Nope. It’s better you don’t know.”
“You have some deep dark secret, don’t you?”
I mock gasped. “How did you know?” I grinned and continued to walk. I didn’t look behind, but I knew he was there. “Yes, I’m an angel,” I added sarcastically.
“Very funny. Come on, you can tell me. I won’t tell Mother Superior, or my sister.” I stopped and he almost ran into the back of me. I turned and stepped back one pace to keep some distance between us.
“You can’t tell anyone. No one at all.”
“I promise.”
I so desperately wanted to tell him, I wanted nothing else. I wanted to form some relationships while I was here. But at the same time, I was afraid that if something did happen, if I killed him, then I would never forgive myself. I would have to live with it for the rest of my existence.
“You will find out in time.” That was all I decided to give him.
“Fine. Would you like to see the rest of the garden?” he asked as he came to stand beside me.
“Quickly. We have to get back to our rooms. Mother Superior won’t be too happy if we skip dinner,” I mocked.
“Yes. We don’t want to get on her bad side,” he added with a chuckle.
“Does she even have a good side?”
“Not really.” And we both broke out in laughter. Conversation came easy with Asher, and I began to feel comfortable around him, which was rare because I spent all my time trying to avoid people. When we exited the maze, I was astounded to the vastness of the rest of the garden and the variety of plants it contained. We walked along a winding path towards a beautiful fountain. I smiled as I noticed the main feature of the fountain. It was an angel. I stood in silence for a moment and simply admired it.
“It’s the Archangel Michael. Our name sake,” stated Asher, standing just behind me. I could feel his breath in my hair. I shivered.
“Yes, I know,” I replied, hoping I didn’t sound like a know-it-all. Then a thought occurred to me. “So you’re a Michaelite?”
“Yes.”
“Which means you’re human.” It wasn’t a question, more a statement.
“Yes.” My stomach flipped and plummeted. Relationships between Nephilim and humans were forbidden, especially the sexual kind. And more importantly, it was most taboo between a Nephilim and a Michaelite. It was the number one rule for both our races.
“I should go,” I said finally, turning back towards the Sanctuary.
“I’ll walk you,” he offered. I couldn’t say no.
As soon as we entered the foyer, we noticed it was bursting with activity. Everyone was either wailing with despair or yelling. I could hardly hear myself. Then I understood what it was all for. A group of nuns and priests were surrounding something on the floor. With a sick feeling in my stomach, I realised it was the frail old nun I had killed. I tried to hurry past and sneak up the stairs, but my mother noticed me.
“Eden. Where were you?” she grabbed my arm and pulled me around the corner. Luckily, the scene distracted Asher, so he hadn’t noticed I was missing.
“Eden? Answer me. Please tell me this wasn’t you.” My mother pleaded in a hushed voice. I peeled my eyes away from Asher and looked at her.
“No, of course not. I mean it’s never me, anyway.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Well, you always cover it up, and we move on. That’s usually how it works, right?”
“Don’t mock me. I’m getting sick of covering for you.”
“You don’t have to.” I tried to pull away, but her grasp was a stronghold.
“Yes. I do. Because you don’t.”
“Well, stop it. I can look after myself.” I tugged again just as a Priest approached us.
“Everything okay here?” he asked.
“Yes. Fine.” My mother replied, dropping my arm. I crossed my arms and took the chance to make my escape.
“Don’t go too far Miss Daylesford,” the priest told me. “We’ll need to question everyone.” I gave him and my mother a look, and then stormed up the stairs. When I neared the top, I sat, listening to the conversations below.
“So what do you think happened?” That was Mum.
“It looks like she had a heart attack as she was quite old,” replied one of the nuns.
“How old?”
“Ninety-three. That’s old in human years. I don’t know what it’s like for you Nephilim.”
“We age the same as you. But we hardly ever get sick, so we’ve been known to live a little bit longer than humans.”
So they were going with the heart attack theory. Good. That means they won’t suspect anyone. I stood, and was about to turn when I heard footsteps coming towards me. I glanced down the stairs and saw Asher.
“I thought you had disappeared,” I said.
“Yeah, I had to get away from there. Death makes me uneasy,” he told me.
“Me, too.” It was a lie. But what else could I tell him?
“I think death makes everyone uneasy.” He came to stand just a few steps up from me.
“So, what’s going to happen now?” I inquired.
“Well, the Michaelites will go into prayer mode until the funeral.”
“And when will that be?”
“In a few days time.”
“Do they eat or drink during that time?”
“Of course, but less than normal.”
“I don’t think I could do that.”
“I’m sorry to say, but now that you’re here, you’re required to participate.”
I rolled my eyes. “Do you participate?” If he were doing it too, it wouldn’t be so bad.
“Yes, unfortunately. Come on, we should go to dinner.” He held out his hand to me. I looked at it as if it were a poisonous snake. I should really start wearing gloves. Luckily, he remembered that I didn’t like touching hands, so he dropped it.
I smiled at him through the hair I had pulled in front of my face. “Sure. Lead the way.” He smiled awkwardly back at me and continued up the stairs.
Chapter Four
Eden
The dining hall was not what I was expecting. I expected it to be loud and full of people, like a school cafeteria. But it was just the opposite. Sure, it was communal, but in a formal dinner party way. I stopped short. Asher noticed I wasn’t behind him and looked back to find me. I must have had the oddest expression on my face because he smirked and came back to join me.
“What?”
“It’s so…” I couldn’t find the right word to describe the scene in front of me. Thankfully, Asher did.
“Formal?”
“Yeah. I expected it to be more…”
Again, he finished my sentence for me. “More like a school cafeteria?”
“Yes. Exactly.” I grinned at him, and he grinned back. I expected him to hold out his hand for me again, but he must’ve gotten the hint because his hand stayed firmly by his side.
“Come on. Come meet everyone.”
As we walked around the perimeter of the room, around one large communal table, the majority of eyes made their way to me. Why were they staring? Oh God, I hope they didn’t know. Thankfully, when we reached the ‘young person’s table’ as Asher told me he called it, there was staring, but of a less accusing kind.
“Who’s your girlfriend, Asher?” teased a chubby boy, who must have been about ten years old.
“She’s not my girlfriend, Markus. This is Eden. She’s new here.”
“The Nephilim girl?” piped in a girl about my age, with platinum blonde hair and pink tips.
Asher shot her a warning glare. “Jaz.”
“What? That’s what she is, is she not?”
Before Asher could speak for me again, I hated people speaking up for me. It was my top pet peeve. I stepped in. “It’s okay. Yes, I’m Nephilim, and I’m not offended by it.”
“That’s so cool. I’m Jazmine. Jaz for short. I hate being called Jazmine.”
“Nice to meet you.” I smiled at the welcoming, but intimidating girl, and sat down at the end of the table next to Asher.
“Jaz believes she has Nephilim powers,” blurted Markus once everyone had sat down and began eating.
“Shut up, Markus!” Jaz gave the young boy a fierce glare.
I had the impression these two were related somehow. And Jaz’s next words confirmed by suspicions.
“Sorry about my pain in the arse brother.”
“It’s okay.” I sucked at small talk. I looked down at my dinner. Was this all they were feeding us? It was the blandest soup I had ever tasted. I wiped my mouth on my napkin and pushed my bowl away from me. Asher leaned in close to me and my stomach flipped. Did he have to get so close?
“Sorry about the food. This is kind of a palate cleanser. The entrée is coming.”
I looked at him, lifting an eyebrow. “You mean this isn’t dinner?”
He tried to choke back laughter. Was he laughing at me?
“No.”
“Why do we need a palette cleanser? My palette is already clean.”
More laughing ensued. My cheeks flamed.
“Sorry. It’s just a fancy thing. You’ll get used to it.”
I muttered to mysel
f. “I hope so.”
After the next two courses, I was beginning to feel really full. How do people eat three course meals? Was their trait to have four stomachs like a cow? Just as I was beginning to feel bored and about to excuse myself, the young woman seated opposite me asked me a question.
“So, Eden, do you have any brothers or sisters?”
The question caught me off guard and came unexpectedly. But I answered honestly. “No. I’m an only child.” Was it really any of their business? And why did she want to know?
“Do you have any brothers or sisters?” I asked back.
“Yes.” She replied, looking to her left. She was looking at Asher. And then I noticed the resemblance, and it all made sense.
“Asher is your brother?”
“Yes.”
“I didn’t notice it before. But I do now.” I smiled at the both of them. The young nun smiled sadly back at me. What was her name again? Gosh, I was bad with names! She had introduced herself to me earlier, and now I can’t remember. Did it start with a C or an S?
“I’m really sorry, excuse me, but I just can’t remember your name.”
“It’s okay,” she laughed musically. “It’s Cecelia.”
“Cecelia.” I said with a smile. “I think I can remember that.”
When dessert came, sticky date pudding, I noticed from the corner of my eye that Asher was staring at me. When I looked at him, and he caught me, he looked away and back at his dessert. I pulled my hair around my face to hide the blush that was forming on my cheeks. It was then I realised that this thing I had with him, if it were even a thing, was going to kill me. Literally.
When dinner was over and we left the dining room, I felt a tug on my jumper. I turned to find Jaz behind me.
“Hey, wait up.”
“Hey.”
“So, what is it with you and Asher?”
“Oh, nothing.”
“Didn’t look like nothing to me. You guys were doing some serious flirting.”
“Were we? I hadn’t noticed.”