Heavenly Hunted

by Aria Williams

  I grabbed a banana, slung my bag over my shoulder, and headed for the front door. I wasn’t going to stick around and hear this pair arguing for the next twenty minutes, I was on my way to school. Before I stepped outside, my brain processed a smart remark which I thought would throw them off their game. I whipped around. “The only display of PDA will be us holding hands. If you dare try to stick your tongue in my mouth, I will bite it off.”

  I just loved to shit stir the situation more, I had to gain something out of it. I turned back around before either boy had a chance to speak and stepped outside.

  One last thing crossed my mind. Turning my head over my shoulder, I yelled at Nate, “And I want a corsage like they do at the American proms.”

  I didn’t stay long enough to hear Connor’s response—that was another thing I had come to terms with last night. He didn’t want to go that extra step with me, so why not have some fun?

  Nate was right behind me wasting no time, with a brand new board in his hand. This one looked pretty sick, I really hope he didn’t expect me to watch him every single afternoon. That would be too much to bear. I would probably end up begging this Bernie for a quick death.

  Connor sprinted from the front door to race Nate to my car, I waited on the passenger’s side for my car to be unlocked. Connor stood at the driver’s side door while Nate stood next to him with his hand extended out.

  “Give me the keys. It will look odd if you’re driving my girlfriend’s car.” Nate emphasized the keyword: girlfriend.

  I turned away to ignore the macho contest between these two boys. I could understand where Connor was coming from, he had been driving us to school for weeks now and I had gotten used to the idea and welcomed it. In Nate’s defense it wouldn’t look good to Mark and Brandon for Connor to be driving us around, it would make him look like the weaker of the two.

  I looked at my watch and started walking down the road, ignoring the territorial males. I had plenty of time to get there on foot. Luckily I wasn’t a bitch in heat. These two alpha males would be on the ground fighting for the dominant role while tearing each other’s ears off.

  The boys carried on like a pack of bitches all the way to school. it’s totally did my head in, and they say teenage girls are bad.

  I could see the school coming into view now, everyone was standing out in front, all of my friends were standing under the same tree we had claimed for the last few weeks .

  A fuzzy warm feeling spread up my arm, resonating to the rest of my body; a warm hand clasped mine, slender long fingers entwined with my own, triggering this exciting response.

  It felt really nice for a few seconds until the reality of the situation set in. I looked at Nate and he flashed me a big smile.

  It took forever to reach my friends, they were smiling at both of us, surprised to see my ‘boyfriend’ back in town.

  Nate leaned in towards my ear, his warm breath tickling the skin just below my ear. “It’s just for appearance’s sake, right?”

  The way he said this confused me; he knew it wasn’t real, our feelings didn’t turn all caring and sweet overnight, but beneath his question sat a mocking tone. This boy was more messed up than I had originally thought.

  Once we stood in front of everyone, the questions started to come from every direction. I ignored the boys while mostly chatting to the girls.

  Nessa mimicked a ball of static energy, the excitement flowed through her and bounced off everyone else. Her hair acted like the conductor, pushing the electric current to those surrounding her.

  “Oh my God, this is so awesome. We can go on a double date,” said Nessa.

  “Triple date, even better. Too bad Casey has no boyfriend,” said Corrina. She eyed Connor. The wheels of matchmaker were playing in her mind.

  Casey had seen this calculated look on Corrina’s features and didn’t look as excited as the other two girls, but she stated the obvious loud enough for everyone to hear, directing her solemn comment to me. “Now you have a date to graduation. There goes that idea of us going together.”

  I felt a little sorry for Casey, she’s such a pretty girl. She looked a little sad not to have a date for graduation, but I was wondering if that was by choice or not. Over the last few weeks I had seen a slight change in her. She had changed her clothing style and was no longer impersonating Corrina. She was becoming her own person, and learning to become comfortable with herself.

  “The graduation, wow, we have to get dresses, our hair done, makeup, nails, and of course, shoes…” Nessa’s list dragged on and on. She didn’t do things halfway, she perfects everything down to a fine art.

  The last year’s end of term ballet production had been a very fine affair, she had all of the children’s outfits organized and color co-ordinated to suit their skin tone. She hired one of the trainees from Skin-arama to do all of the makeup and hair. The trainee, of course, gave her a very cheap discounted rate, which each parent was happy to pay to make sure their child looked superb.

  I’m hoping that she isn’t going to be so anal about the outfits we wear. I may not even get a choice in the dress I get saddled with, this would normally upset me, as I liked no one telling me what to do. But in Nessa’s case, her OCD might rear its obsessive little head and take control of the situation.

  I could see her brain now, putting together all of the pieces. Luckily, the bell rang, and for the next few hours, her attention would be occupied elsewhere. Grades were just as important as appearance to this girl.

  Chapter Four

  Nate

  Connor was already up when I woke, well, he’s the reason why I woke. I’m pretty sure this boy never got up this early and he was making such loud noises, the whole house would be out of bed if he kept going. The pots and pans were clanking in the kitchen a lot for two Pop-Tarts. “That’s a lot of noise for two pieces of dough that gets put into the toaster.”

  “It was the toaster I was looking for. ” replied Connor.

  “Last night when I went to bed, it was on the kitchen counter. I don’t think fairies moved it overnight.”

  The smirk that traced Connor’s face gave away the fact that he tried to wake me up on purpose.

  I decided to change the subject in an attempt to get along. “So I have to decide whether I’m returning to school or keeping an eye on Indy from a distance.”

  “You’re not going back to school,” Connor spat.

  “Why not?”

  “Why should you? You left a few weeks ago, then come back, and what? Leave again after this chick goes away?”

  I could see where he was coming from, but now that he was trying to tell me what to do, I might just go back to annoying him. I’m sure Mark and Brandon would welcome me back.

  I crossed my arms over my chest, to asserting my will. “I’m going back. Thanks, Connor. You can either work with me or against me.”

  Connor mimicked my actions and refused to give up. I could hear the soft tread of feet coming down the stairs.

  Neither Connor nor myself could fool Indy. She knew we were arguing and could guess that it was about her She demanded to know what was going on, Connor played it cool, walking away from the kitchen with his breakfast. He couldn’t help himself and launched into a lengthy explanation of what we were arguing about.

  Indy was shocked, but processed the information quite fast. I read her body language and smiled as she opened her mouth to deliver her next words. I knew his sly plan had backfired. He thought he could make me look irrational. He tried to appeal to her bitchy side, hoping I would be pushed away. That wasn’t how it worked out, and Connor grit his teeth in failure. He could hope as much as he liked, I wouldn’t be forced to leave as soon as Indy was safe. I’m here to stay.

  “The only display of PDA…

  I was hardly listening to what Indy had to say, I was concentrating on Connor. He was not a happy camper. I had noticed last night that something was odd between the pair of them, they were usually hugging and sitting on top of each othe
r. The jealousy factor had increased ten-fold since I’d come back. He looked a little upset also. Well, I couldn’t blame him. The girl he loved was now giving me permission to hold her hand. Everything else was out of the question, but I was happy to hold her hand and flaunt it in-front of Connor, and I would be lying to myself if I didn’t admit I would enjoy it, too.

  Last night it was hard having Indy near me, her roses tempted me towards her. Even though I was pissed off for part of the night, all I had to do was breathe in sharply and the sweet fragrance overwhelmed my mind and took my heart to unforeseen territory.

  I was lost in daydreams of leading Indy around school while she held my hand. I was half listening until the word prom was mentioned. This was an American event but Indy was speaking about it like we were going, what month is it… Damn. The end of year 12 is nearly upon us. Oh no… no, no , no. I’m not going to wear a penguin suit. That’s not part of my penance. I’m here to serve and protect. Penguin business can be handed over to Connor.

  Grabbing my skate board, I headed out the door right on Indy’s heels. She was waiting on the passenger side of the car. Naturally, I headed to the driver’s side. I could hear the jingle of keys in Connor’s hand. He wasn’t going to let me drive, but this was an opportunity to stir the pot just that little bit more.

  “Give me the keys. It will look odd if you’re driving my girlfriend’s car.” I couldn’t help myself but to single out my last two words.

  “She is not your girlfriend Nate, get that through your head”

  “That is not what everyone else thinks and Indy isn’t planning on breaking up with me. Give me the keys, Connor.”

  I was going to let him drive anyway but Indy walked off in the direction of school. She didn’t like us arguing and I wasn’t really here to make Connor’s life hell, but he had started this. I know I should be the adult here and not left him provoke me, but I didn’t like the fact that he thought he could lay claim to a girl who wasn’t his.

  Connor caught up to me pretty fast, matching my pace.

  “So I suppose you think you can hijack my friends again.”

  “What are you going on about? I share a mutual liking of a sport which Brandon enjoys, and Mark and myself are in a few classes together. We hit it off.”

  “You call that a sport? You don’t even break a sweat.”

  “Whatever, man.” I was through arguing for now.

  I had to go play boyfriend for a while, and seeing that our friends knew we hadn’t seen each other for a few days, they would be expecting us to be all over each other.

  I caught up to Indy and slid my hand into hers. She opened up her fingers and allowed mine to fit snuggly alongside hers. She squeezed my hand; she was smiling a dreamy kind of smile. I don’t think she was aware that her body reacted differently than her head did.

  Together we walked towards our friends. I was a little excited to see them, it had been a while and I craved the social interaction. I hadn’t quite realized what having a friend, let alone a group of them, meant before I came here. I had moved from various foster homes and attended school, but I never stayed in one school long enough to develop any true friends. Then when I was adopted by my father, the boss, he forbade anything that took my attention away from training.

  I had always believed I was here to serve some higher purpose and not work for the exact people I thought I was here to destroy. I was still unsure what my boss really was, did he answer to some heavenly arch angel or a demon representing Satan?.

  Indy was walking very close to me; our hips grazed each other once or twice. She didn’t shy away from it, in-fact she repeated the action. I leaned into her hair. The roses were making my body go crazy. I whispered into her ear while nuzzling her neck.

  I couldn’t help but tease her, “It’s just for appearance’s sake, right? You’re not enjoying this.”

  The puzzled look on her face told me enough. I had shaken her insides up, put them into a blender, served them on a plate in no particular order and demanded her to examine them.

  Luckily for Indy’s sake we reached our friends. She wouldn’t have to do much more thinking for a bit.

  Now that we were around our friends, it was a little harder to sweep the area for potential threats. Before I only had Connor and Indy to keep on eye on, now I had six other people thrown into the mix.

  Indy was in conversation with the girls, while Mark and Brandon talked to me. They were shocked and surprised to see my return, then asked if it would be for long. I told them it would be till we at least finished school. Some other seniors came over, welcoming me back.

  “Where are you staying at, man?”

  I think Mark asked this, I wasn’t sure. I was preoccupied looking around, turning back to the two boys as I answered their questions.

  “I’m staying at Indy’s house.”

  “Seriously? Damn! Nessa’s parents demand I leave before nine p.m. every night and we have to keep the door open if we’re in her room.”

  “Wow, man. You’re lucky,” said one of the other guys. I think his name is Warren. He punched me on the shoulder, trying to make a point.

  “Why do you say that?”

  “If I could sleep next to Indy, I’d be tapping her all night.”

  That comment hit me in the wrong place, and upset many nerves, irritating my emotions. Before I could stop myself, I snapped loudly, “Don’t speak about Indy that way. I’m sleeping on the lounge.”

  “Sorry, mate. I didn’t mean to disrespect your woman like that,” pleaded Warren.

  “It’s okay.” It wasn’t really okay but I knew the boys were just being boys. More precisely, teenage boys.

  I had the first three classes with Indy; the first two were pretty boring. The third was a little exciting, it was the new one about careers. I had missed the first few classes. It didn’t seem to matter though, half the students were still undecided about career choices .

  The teacher stood in front of the class giving a very tough lecture about the cut off for university applications closing next week and we needed to act like adults and make a decision. To aid the class she gave all of us a questionnaire about our strengths and skills.

  I was a bit hesitant to answer truthfully. Indy sat next to me muttering all kinds of comments under her breath that made me laugh.

  “Hi, I’m Indy. I’m five foot ten, blonde, and break balls for a living.” Her comments were pretty funny. She pretended to have a real sweet voice. “My strengths are my jaw destroying uppercut and round house kick.”

  I pondered my particular skill set I thought I was a good investigator but that failed. I’m a good fighter, but that was against helpless, untrained angels. There were all kind of skills and talents listed from a good speaker to a fast runner. The many things my father had taught me are useless in any profession except the army. I had lived a regimented life and was now enjoying this newfound freedom. I didn’t want to return to rules or conformity.

  I stared at the piece of paper for a long time. Indy was still mumbling to herself. I had to concentrate to not laugh at her.

  At this moment in my life, I have come to the stark realization that I never had a choice in my future. I will forever be protecting an angel who is being made a victim by people like my old boss. I think the key to my future is tracking down these people that kill these beautiful creatures. If I am to succeed in this dream, I have to get this Bernie chick on my side. Killing her is not an option, we need her alive and as an ally.

  Indy had become quiet. I wasn’t going to bother looking at her. We’re safe inside this classroom, no one here would intentionally harm her. Most of the students were a little scared of her, she did portray this tuff girl image.

  There was the faintest of movements that brushed against my arm, bringing me back to the present. I moved my head to find Indy ticking one of the boxes on my form, followed by another. These two boxes gave the option of an athletic type and fearless nature. It’s true I am both of these. She continued
to play with my form, all of the things she ticked were true but I didn’t think they were necessary skills I can use to earn money.

  I sat back and let her do what she wanted. Even if it is a harmless activity, at least we were getting along. Indy sat back in her chair and put her hand up for the teacher to come over and collect our forms. I was very interested to see what results would be returned in the next lesson.

  Chapter Five

  Indy

  I just didn’t see the point in these silly career classes. Most of the boys here couldn’t even decide what they were going to eat for lunch as they stood in the canteen line. How can they be expected to pick something that they wanted to do for the rest of their lives? For those kids that do pick, did they stay with their choices and finish university or change half way through their course? I have known of serial students, who pass from one field to another, staying the forever student, having no real job expectations. Stuff that for a joke, I hate school. The only enjoyment I get out of it is the social side; I would've never stayed in this town so long if it hadn’t been for the cool friends I’ve made.

  I sat through the school day, trying to make each class enjoyable. I mumbled to myself or on occasion made silly comments out loud. I was itching for some excitement or fun. The only fun thing coming up was the school dance and I was planning to go with some really good friends. Actual girlfriends, it had been a while since I’ve allowed myself to have real female friends. Every time I got close to humans, it has ended sadly.

  I thought back to the late 1800’s.

  In the 1800’s I was well advanced with women’s rights and believed that we should have the opportunity to have a louder voice in society. I was part of a special faction called the women’s suffrage group. They had done some pretty amazing work in gaining women the right to vote.