Milayna's Angel

by Michelle K. Pickett

  “He is coming.”

  Rolling my eyes, I sighed. “Azazel has no power over me, and I’m getting tired of hearing about him. So vamoose.”

  “Not Azazel, not Azazel,” Friendly chanted. “Another is coming, he is coming… for you.” He whispered the last words, and then let out a fit of giggles.

  With their warning given, there were two little pops and the hobgoblins disappeared, leaving nothing behind but two puffs of smoke and the faint odor of sulfur.

  “What did they want?” Chay asked behind me.

  I jumped, a small gasp escaping my lips. “Don’t do that,” I said, rubbing my hands up and down my arms to ward off the cold Michigan breeze.

  Chay pulled me against him, kissing the top of my head and wrapping his arms around me. I snuggled against his warmth, breathing him in.

  “What were they doing here?” His lips moved against my hair, sending shivers down my body that had nothing to do with the cold night.

  I looked up at him and smiled. “They came to warn me.”

  “About?”

  “They told me ‘he is coming,’ whoever that is.” I shrugged.

  “Hmm, sounds ominous,” he said with a twitch of his lips.

  “Just empty threats.” I stood on my toes and kissed Chay lightly.

  When I started to pull away, he tightened his grip around my waist. “Don’t go,” he murmured, nuzzling behind my ear. “I’m cold.”

  I laughed and kissed him quickly. “If my dad catches you out here, you’ll be toast.”

  Chay angled his mouth over mine. He kissed me long and slow, his tongue dipping between my lips. I sighed at the feel. It was a pure bliss kiss. The kind that made my toes curl. That was what Chay’s kisses were—pure bliss. When he raised his head, we were both breathing hard. My head swam and goose bumps dotted my skin.

  “I guess I should go.”

  “Yeah.” I nodded, still out of breath.

  He grinned crookedly and kissed me one last time before he jumped the back fence and jogged home. I watched him until he disappeared into the dark night, my fingers lightly touching my lips, still swollen from his kiss.

  ***

  I was talking with Chay before chemistry class started when I felt a bump under my seat. I ignored it. A few seconds later, there was another kick. I turned in my seat and looked behind me. A flash of white glinted between his full lips when he smiled at me. His dimple, just one, creased deep in his cheek.

  “Hi,” Xavier said.

  “Hey.”

  “Did you finish the calculus homework?”

  “Yes. Why?” I asked.

  “Would you mind looking at my answer for number seventeen and seeing if I’m even in the vicinity of being correct?” He gave me a pleading look. Chay’s hand squeezed mine painfully as he watched Xavier.

  “Um, sure.” I grabbed my homework from my binder and slid it across the table to him. He compared his calculations to mine and sighed.

  “Great. I’m not as lost as I thought I was. My other school hadn’t covered this material yet.”

  “Glad I could help.” I reached for my paper and slipped it in my binder. Chay cleared his throat. I turned around in my seat and frowned at him. “Knock it off,” I whispered.

  “He’s flirting with you.”

  I rolled my eyes. “In what world does asking someone for help on calculus homework constitute flirting?”

  “In a guy’s.”

  “Don’t you trust me, Chay?”

  “Yeah. It’s him I don’t trust.” He flicked his eyes in Xavier’s direction.

  I leaned over and kissed him, biting his lower lip before sucking it into my mouth. Chay threaded his fingers through my hair and held my head to him. When I pulled back, I looked him in the eyes. “You don’t have anything to worry about. I love you.”

  Halfway through the class, I felt a nudge on the bottom of my seat. I eyed Xavier over my shoulder, raising a brow in question. He handed a folded piece of paper to me.

  He’s passing me notes now?

  I took the paper and read it when the instructor had his back to the class: Thanks for the help. I owe you one. Lunch?

  Wadding the paper up before Chay could read it, I lobbed it backward toward Xavier. I furrowed my brows and shook my head once. Surely, he could see Chay and I were together. Why would he ask me to have lunch with him? Was he flirting like Chay insisted or was it just an innocent invitation? Either way, my answer was the same. No. Chay and I had lunch with the other demi-angels every afternoon anyway.

  ***

  “So I heard you had visitors last night?” Muriel asked when I saw her in calculus.

  I dropped my books on the table and slid onto the seat next to her. “Yeah.”

  “I wonder why they’re back? It’s not like Azazel can do anything to you.”

  “No. But he can target the group.”

  “Hmm, true. Even so, I think we’re fine. They just want to cause trouble. Any visions?”

  “Just the usual stuff.”

  “Then I wouldn’t worry too much about the little red goblins.” Muriel opened her binder and pulled out her homework.

  I’m not so sure. Whenever we start to feel comfortable is when Azazel has the best chance of turning one of the group against us.

  “I guess not.” I looked at Chay sitting a few rows in front of me. His blue-green eyes bored into mine.

  “You’re not so sure we don’t have anything to worry about when it comes to Azazel, are you?” I asked him after class.

  “No.”

  I waited for him to elaborate. He didn’t. I hated when he gave me a half answer. “And?” I waved my hand in the air for him to continue.

  “We know he can get to anyone in the group. Jake, Steven, and the bitchy duo are proof of that. They jumped ship for Azazel’s side easily enough. Oh, and let’s not forget our old friend Jeff. He really duped the team. Played along like he was fighting with us right up until the very end… when he betrayed you to Azazel and nearly got you killed.”

  “Yeah, I remember. Half our team went from fighting with us to fighting against us.”

  Chay slung my book bag over the back of my chair in my history class. “He can get to any of us, Milayna. We don’t know who we can trust. Remember that and be careful.” He tugged gently on one of my red curls before he leaned down and placed his lips behind my ear. “You’re so beautiful.” He gave me a quick kiss before leaving for his class.

  “I’m sorry if I freaked you out in chem class,” Xavier said behind me.

  His voice was so close. It startled me, and I jumped. I turned around to face him. “Why would you think I was freaked out?”

  “Asking about lunch. I didn’t mean… I can obviously see that you and Chay are… It’s just that I haven’t made many friends yet, and I just wanted someone to sit with.” He shrugged.

  Oh, I should really keep my mouth shut.

  “Chay and I sit with a group of friends at lunch. Look for us.”

  I’m so stupid. Chay is going to flip a cork.

  “Thanks.” Xavier reached out and pulled my chair out for me… just like Chay did. I hesitated slightly before sitting down. “See you at lunch.”

  “You’re having lunch with him?” Jen asked with both amazement and accusation in her voice when Xavier walked away.

  “No. We all are. I said he could sit with the group.”

  “Why?”

  I shrugged and opened my history book. “Because it’s only his second day and he doesn’t want to sit alone.”

  “Chay’s gonna flip his shit. Whatever you do, don’t sit next to Xavier.”

  “I wasn’t planning on it. I figured you and Muriel would help me out.”

  “Hmm, yeah, I guess I could sit next to him for you. It’ll be a huge imposition, of course, but what are friends for?” Jen smiled.

  I laughed out loud, earning a scowl from my history teacher who’d already started his lecture.

  ***

  I pro
bably should have warned Chay that Xavier was having lunch with us when I saw him in class the next hour. I thought about it, but I couldn’t find the right words. ‘Hey, you know the guy you think is flirting with me? Well, I invited him to have lunch with us’ just didn’t seem to fit.

  The closer the clock inched to lunch period, the sweatier my hands became. My insides were like jelly, jiggling around.

  I’m being silly. Chay will understand.

  “Why the hell is he here?” Chay whispered in my ear when Xavier sat down at our table thirty minutes later.

  “He didn’t have anyone to sit with.” I looked down at my lap so Xavier didn’t know we were talking about him.

  “And that’s our problem because?”

  “Because we’re nice people who want to make him feel welcome.”

  Chay grunted in response. He didn’t talk to me the rest of the lunch period.

  Even though he was irritated with me, he carried my books to each class like always, giving me a small kiss on the cheek before leaving for his class. He didn’t speak, and the peck on the cheek was a lot different from the full contact, warm, wet kisses he usually gave me. He was officially getting on my bitch nerve.

  “Cut out the jealousy crap, Chay! I’m not some simpleminded twit who thinks it’s cute when you’re acting jealous and overbearing. You said you trusted me. If that’s true, it shouldn’t bother you if I sit next to Xavier in every one of my classes and have lunch with him every day,” I yelled on the drive home that afternoon.

  “You sit with him in class?”

  “Ugh, that’s what you heard? Out of all that, that’s what you heard? You can be a real idiot.”

  He turned into a gas station parking lot so fast that his tires squealed. I had to hold on to the dashboard so I wasn’t thrown against him from the momentum. He screeched to a stop, causing the car, and us, to lurch forward. I looked at him in surprise.

  What now?

  He turned in his seat, grabbed the back of my neck, and pulled me to him. His mouth claimed mine in a rough kiss. Fisting my hand in his shirt, I held him to me. I moaned when his tongue outlined my lips, and he groaned in response. He trailed light, openmouthed kisses down the side of my neck, making little circles on my skin with his tongue. Every nerve in my body was electrified. Goose flesh pricked my skin and my insides melted.

  He lifted his head and looked at me. His blue-green eyes were dark, his breathing ragged. I threaded my fingers through his hair and pulled his lips to mine again, taking them slowly.

  “Stop with the jealousy, Chay,” I said against his lips. “I don’t want anyone else.”

  He smiled and leaned back. Putting the car into drive, he pulled slowly out of the parking lot. “You wanna get a milkshake? “

  “You have to ask?”

  His lips twitched. “I guess not.”

  Chay’s uncle owned a small ice cream shop in town. According to Chay, he had the best milkshakes in South Bay. According to Uncle Stewart, he had the best milkshakes in the entire state of Michigan. I agreed with them both.

  “Hey, you two! The usual?” Uncle asked when we walked into the small shop, the bells jingling above us.

  “Yes, please.” I hopped on a stool at the counter.

  “Two chocolate milkshakes, extra whipped cream, and three cherries… because I love ya,” Uncle said with a wink.

  “We love you, too, Uncle Stewart.” I smiled. He was a nice man and happened to be angel. According to him, we were all family—angels and demi-angels. I guess we were.

  The chimes tinkled over the door when two women walked in. When I made eye contact with one woman, a tall, willowy redhead, an image of her face flashed behind my eyes, followed by piercing screams. The sound of screaming and the sight of her pale face disappeared as soon as we lost eye contact.

  “That’s new,” I mumbled.

  “What?” Chay’s voice startled me, and I flinched. I hadn’t realized I’d said anything out loud.

  “Um, not sure yet.” I got up and walked behind the counter. Uncle was just walking to the front from the storage area in the back of the store. “Can I do it?”

  “Wait on them? Sure, but why?” Uncle looked at the women over my shoulder. “They friends of yours?”

  “No… I just… I’m not sure really. I can’t explain it.”

  “Darlin’, there isn’t much in our lives that can be explained. Go on before they change their minds and go to Dairy Queen instead.”

  I laughed and walked to the women waiting to order. Chay caught my eye, raising a brow in question. I shrugged. I had no idea what I was doing. I just had the urge to wait on the women. I was betting it had something to do with the mini-vision I had when they walked in. Once a vision started, it took on a life of its own. There was very little I, or any other demi-angel, could do to fight it. When we were meant to step in, we had the overpowering urge to do so. It was almost as if our actions weren’t our own any longer. We were at the mercy of our visions.

  The pretty redhead looked up, and I stumbled backward. Her face, mangled and distorted, like I was seeing her through a broken circus mirror, flashed over and over again in my mind. The images of her grotesquely misshapen face bounced through my vision, keeping time with the unending screams that filled my ears.

  The screech of a chair against the tile floor drew her attention, and she broke eye contact with me to look over her shoulder.

  I saw Chay walk toward the back of the shop. He pushed through the swinging door and rounded the corner to stand beside me. “I’ll take care of this. Why don’t you help Uncle? I heard him call you.”

  “Oh, sure, thanks.” I smiled at the ladies, searching out the redhead’s green eyes. As soon as our gazes met, the image of her face sprang to life in my brain, her head whipping side to side violently. Her mouth opened and closed, but this time, no sound came. The vision was silent, just a jumble of disjointed images.

  Taking a big step backward, I turned away. I sagged with my back to the wall as soon as I rounded the corner.

  “Vision?”

  I jumped at the sound of Uncle’s voice. “Yes.”

  “Who?”

  “The redhead.” I peeked around the corner.

  “What about?”

  “I can’t tell yet.”

  Nodding, he stood beside me. “Yeah, that’s frustrating, not being able to force the vision to give us the info we need.” He sighed and scratched the back of his head. “Can’t force it though.”

  There was nothing I could do but wait for it to finish telling me what I needed to know to do my job—protect the human.

  I listened as Chay took their orders. One ordered a vanilla cone.

  How boring. A whole ice cream shop full of sweet treats and she picks vanilla? Wait, focus, that’s not important now. The vision. What is it telling me?

  The second lady, her voice soft and melodious, ordered a sundae. It was the redheaded woman. As soon as she started speaking, the vision smashed through my consciousness.

  Her face shook violently from side to side to up and down. The screaming was back. It wasn’t the redheaded woman screaming, though.

  It was the woman with her that screamed. The redhead’s face, misshapen and pale, whipped around, her hair flowing wildly around her head. Then it stopped. The screaming quieted, and the movement of the grossly misshapen head stilled. For a brief second, I thought the vision was over… until I saw her lying on the gleaming tile floor of the ice cream shop. Her face was deathly pale, her hair and lips stark red against her unnaturally white skin. But it wasn’t hair. I struggled to see. It was as though I was looking down at her from the ceiling, but the floor sank farther and farther from me every second that ticked by. I was running out of time.

  “Would you like cherries on your sundae?” I heard Chay ask.

  Cherries! It’s not hair; it’s long, intertwining lines of cherries surrounding her!

  I grabbed a hand towel and turned the corner. “I’m so sorry,” I said, l
eaning over the toppings station, the hand towel covering the full bin of cherries. “We’re out of cherries.”

  “I thought I saw some?” the woman said.

  “Oh, you must have seen these.” I picked the bin of strawberries up and angled it toward her. “We ran out of cherries yesterday.” I lowered my voice. “I was supposed to get more but it completely slipped my mind. Please don’t tell my boss. I really need this job,” I whispered.

  She smiled. “You know, you’re right, it was the strawberries I saw. No cherries for me, thank you. I’ll have extra strawberries, though.” She winked at me.

  The next vision was one of her sitting at a table by the front window of the shop, eating her sundae topped with extra strawberries and talking with her friend. Slowly, it dissolved from view.

  Keeping the towel over the bin of cherries, I lifted it and carried it to the back of the shop. I set it down on the metal prep table that ran the length of the room, the metal bin clanging against the tabletop. One hand on either side of the bin of cherries, my arms stretched out in front of me, I bowed my head and closed my eyes, taking deep breaths to calm my racing heart.

  “Laid it on a little thick there, don’t cha think? ‘Please don’t tell my boss or he might fire me,’” Uncle mimicked in a high-pitched voice.

  I smiled, not opening my eyes. “I had to make sure she didn’t fuss over the disappearing cherries. And I don’t sound like that.” I laughed.

  “Tsk, you did good, Milayna.” He patted my shoulder.

  “What was with the cherries?” Chay murmured close to my ear, his breath moving my hair and tickling my neck.

  “She would have choked on them,” I told him.

  “You okay?” Chay pulled me into his arms.

  “I’m good. Remind me to order strawberries from now on, though.”

  I jumped at Uncle’s roar of laughter. His round belly jiggled in time with his chortles, making him look like Santa Claus. If Santa were an angel. He wasn’t.

  ***

  That night, the hobgoblins returned. They stared at me through the kitchen window while I loaded dishes into the dishwasher. When I finished, I wiped my hands on a dishcloth and walked outside.