“Fallen? Earthbound Angels? Please explain,” Millie managed to say.
“Fallen are Fallen Angels. Demons. Followers of Lucifer. The Devil,” Benjamin explained, eyeing Millie’s reaction. “Earthbound Angels are Angels who are based on Earth full-time, like me. There are two types of Earthbound Angels: Protectors and Guardian Angels. I am a Protector.”
“What does a Protector do?” Millie asked.
“Protectors are sent to protect one person, unlike Guardian Angels who have many charges to look after. Some of the oldest Guardian Angels have thousands of charges.”
“Charges? Meaning humans?”
“Yes,” Benjamin answered. “People have Protectors assigned to them because Heaven senses an evil presence around them. It could be that the Fallen are after them or any number of creatures who are in Hell.”
Millie let out a gasp. “So the whole Heaven and Hell thing is real?”
“Heaven is real. Hell is real.”
“Oh, my god,” Millie said in shock.
“Please don’t take the Lord’s name in vain.”
“Oh jeez, I’m sorry,” Millie said, putting her hands over her mouth as Benjamin laughed.
He took Millie’s hands off her mouth and entwined his hands in hers. “I am your Protector.”
“Why?” Millie asked, stunned.
“When the Angels were sent to investigate why there was a large gathering of the Fallen, the Fallen noticed us before we were able to find out any information. A battle broke out and the house where you and your friends were staying was right in the thick of it. We noticed you guys and tried to steer the battle away from you, but the Fallen deliberately got you guys involved--so we would get distracted in protecting you.”
“You didn’t do a very good job of that, did you?” Millie interrupted unsympathetically.
Benjamin’s face became sad at what Millie had just said. Millie noticed. “Sorry,” she said, cupping his face with one hand.
“No, you’re right. We failed.”
“I’m sure you did your best,” Millie said, taking his hand again. “Please continue.”
“I am your Protector because you were the only human who survived the battle. The Fallen did not like that. They are after you now because of that. And now I have given them more reason as well.”
“What do you mean they didn’t like it, and why have you given them more reason?” Millie asked in confusion.
“You saw things, inhumanly things. You knew that something killed all your friends. They want to kill you because you saw those things. It’s much easier for them if humans don’t know they exist.”
“But I didn’t know it was Demons,” Millie interrupted.
“You must have known that it was not human.”
“I never really thought about it like that--the whole incident being caused by something supernatural. But now that I think about it . . . the fire came from nowhere. My friends’ eyes . . .” Millie started to cry. “I’m sorry, but their faces haunt me.”
“I understand,” Benjamin said, cuddling Millie in his arms.
“Can you tell me how that all happened?”
“The fire came from some of the more powerful Fallen.”
“What do you mean?” Millie asked.
He opened up his palm. Slowly, a white ball (about the size of a tennis ball) with hints of gold formed in his hand. It was unbelievable. There were short electric currents flowing through the ball. Millie gasped.
“This is called 'cosmos.' It means Heaven.”
Millie couldn't take her eyes off it.
“The older and powerful Fallen have this, but for them, it’s a fireball. The younger and inexperienced Fallen have a black version of this.” He made it disappear. “It is very powerful. If you were to hurl that at someone close range, it would definitely put a hole in their body.”
Millie remembered the hole in Savannah and shivered. She felt his hand. It was hotter than the rest of his body, but it soon returned to Benjamin’s perfect body temperature.
“A Fallen’s cosmos would have killed your friends. When that hits a human or an Angel, in a split second all their veins turn black, as well as their eyes. The black veins disappear a moment later, but the black eyes are left as a mark to say that the Fallen had killed them.”
“The Fallen killed my friends?” Millie asked in anger.
“Yes, they did. I’m sorry we couldn’t protect them,” he said sadly.
“Hang on.” Millie remembered something. She looked at him in horror.
“What?” Benjamin said, his voice full of dread.
“Luke’s eyes were white. I remember. He was flung across the room and he was lying on the ground, dead, with white eyes,” Millie said in dismay. “If the Fallen victims’ eyes are turned black, do the Angel victims’ eyes turn white?”
Benjamin looked at Millie in horror.
"Answer me," Millie said. "Answer me!" Millie screamed.
"Yes." Benjamin barely spoke.
“You killed Luke,” she said, starting to hit him. “You killed him!” Millie started crying, each hit becoming weaker. Benjamin let her hit him. He was in shock. Eventually, Millie fell to the floor. Benjamin picked her up, and they sat on her bed. She lay crying on his lap.
“I’m sorry. One of us must have missed our target and hit your friend,” he said, gently stroking her back.
Millie sat up. “His body was burnt. You Angels mustn’t have seen his eyes before the house fire,” she said, rubbing her eyes. “I’m sorry that I hit you.”
“You had to take your anger out on someone,” Benjamin said, looking down at the floor.
Millie looked at his eyes. It almost seemed like he was going to cry. He turned his face away from her for a moment, but then turned back and looked into her eyes. His eyes had no trace of ever having had tears in them. They sat there in silence for a while, until something occurred to Millie.
“What did you mean when you said you have given them more reason to come after me?” she questioned.
“Every time an Angel kisses a human, a little bit of their grace goes into the human. If it’s in small doses, it doesn’t really make much difference, but if an Angel keeps on kissing or keeps close to the same human over and over again, the human will notice that they’re a little bit stronger, that much faster at running, that much healthier. Over a longer period of time, being in a relationship with an Angel gives the human a power.”
“A power? What does that mean?” Millie asked, confused.
“Like a supernatural power. The human could see the future, heal, hover, have extreme strength, read minds . . . the list goes on.”
“Wow.”
“Also, the most dangerous part of an Angel being in a relationship with a human is that, without knowing it, a little bit of my knowledge goes into you.”
Millie interrupted. “Knowledge of what?”
“Of Heaven, Angels, my duties—anything, really.”
“So I won’t be able to know what the knowledge is?”
“No. I don’t even know what knowledge I am giving you. This is dangerous, because Lucifer knows how to access the information. There might be a slight chance that I have already passed information to you, and if the Fallen find that out, they will assign even more Fallen to find you. They will bring you to Hell, Millie.”
Millie’s face went pale. Her eyes widened as her jaw dropped. “H-hell?” she stuttered in a timid voice.
“Yes, Hell,” Benjamin said, standing up. “There’s a chance that I haven’t passed any knowledge into you yet. I can go if you want me to.” He made his way to the window.
Millie took awhile to answer. The chance of going to Hell scared her. From the things she had read, it sounded dark, painful, and gruesome. She did not want to go to Hell and see the Devil himself. Her face looked up at Benjamin’s. His face was in torment, waiting for her decision. She hopped off the bed and made her way to him. Her hands grasped his face and lifted it up. She was scared of the possibilities of
the future, but she knew one thing: there was a feeling deep down inside of her, a feeling for Benjamin. This was a feeling she had never felt before--love.
“I just got you. Why would I let you go?” she said with a smile.
His eyes connected to Millie’s and seemed to beam. Benjamin grabbed her hips and pushed them passionately towards him. His fingers tangled in her hair. He pulled her face to his, and their lips touched. It sent Millie into a daze. She clenched his back muscles to stop herself from falling and traced his back with her fingers. Her fingers outlined every muscle, every crevice. She noticed that there were two rips in the back of his shirt from his wings.
His hands reached for her hips. He lifted her up as if she were a feather. Her legs wrapped around his waist tightly. Every time they kissed, it became harder and more passionate. Benjamin held her tight to his chest. He slowly made his way to the bed and gradually placed Millie down. His body lay on top of her as they entwined.
Benjamin pulled back to look into Millie’s eyes. Millie took out her hair tie and ran her hands through her hair. She stared back with pouted lips. He traced her face and neck tenderly as Millie sighed with pleasure. His hands continued down her chest, then stomach, until he lifted up her shorts slightly and traced her hips.
His lips touched her with a force so powerful it almost hurt. His fingers slowly made their way up her shirt until they reached her chest. His lips pressed against Millie’s harder than ever before. Her lips started to hurt; her jaw clenched with pain. Millie tried to push him off, but he was too powerful. It was overwhelming. His body pressed harder against hers. Her veins throbbed with pain. She tried to pull her face away from his but he was too strong.
“Stop!” Millie was able to yell out when Benjamin broke away from her lips for a split second. Benjamin sprang off Millie and ended up halfway across the room.
Millie lay on the bed in silence. In pain.
“I’m sorry,” Benjamin whispered.
He hesitantly walked back over to where Millie lay. He gently placed his hands on her. She flinched. In a split second, all the pain had disappeared. He had healed her.
“It’s okay,” Millie said, touching his hand.
“I don’t know my own strength when I’m with you,” he said, sitting down on the bed. Millie rested her head on his leg.
“I feel vulnerable when I’m around you,” Benjamin continued, stroking her brown curls. “I lose control of myself.”
“I have that effect on people,” Millie said, looking at him with a grin. Benjamin expressed amusement. He planted a gentle kiss on her forehead.
“Can I ask a question?”
“Yes, you can.” Benjamin stroked her arm.
“Are we a couple?” Millie asked hesitantly.
Benjamin sat her up on the edge of the bed. He knelt down on one knee. “Will you go out with me, Millie?” he asked with a huge smile. He grasped her hand and lifted it to his soft lips.
“Yes, of course,” Millie said in awe. “For a split second, I thought you were going to propose,” she continued, giggling.
“I’m sure you did.” He sat down next to Millie.
“So are we, like, breaking the rules?”
“Big time,” Benjamin said loudly. “Angels and humans are forbidden to be together.”
“Well, this should be fun,” Millie said, planting a kiss on Benjamin’s lips.
Six
The “It” Couple
The next morning, Millie woke to find Benjamin coming through her bedroom door with her schoolbag over one shoulder and a hot chocolate in the other hand. He had changed since the last time she saw him. Today he was wearing a white V-neck shirt that was a little bit see-through and loose, light green cargo pants with a black belt.
“Here you go,” Benjamin said as Millie sat up.
“Why, thank you.”
“I retrieved your schoolbag,” he said, placing it next to her bed.
“Yeah, cause someone had to fly me up into the sky, didn’t they? Didn’t even have time to grab it,” Millie joked.
“It’s hot,” Benjamin said, ignoring her with a smile.
“But if I burn my tongue, you can just heal it,” she said, poking her tongue out at him.
“I would enjoy that.” He planted a soft, short kiss on her cheek.
“Did you heal the gash on my finger when I had the party?” Millie asked, slowly sipping her hot chocolate.
“Yeah, I did,” he replied, looking out the window.
“I could get used to having an Angel around,” Millie chuckled.
“I bet you could. Lucky I already knew where your room was when you had the party. It would have been awhile until you staggered to the right one,” Benjamin laughed.
“You knew where my room was?” Millie said, remembering that she hadn’t told him.
“I’m your Protector. It’s my duty to know every little thing about you.”
“Oh, just great.”
“Plus, sometimes at night, I used to watch you sleeping.”
“Well, that’s not a little bit freaky,” Millie said sarcastically. “About the healing ability that you have . . . can you heal any of my injuries?”
“As long as your heart is still beating, yes, I can. It takes longer to heal more serious injuries, though.”
Without letting her get another word in, Benjamin told Millie to get ready for school or they would be late. Millie put on a black singlet top with red short shorts. She placed a golden star-shaped necklace around her neck that Savannah had bought her for her sixteenth birthday and put her feet into a pair of golden, glittery slip-on shoes. She then walked outside to find a small, sporty black car.
“I’m driving today, young missy,” Benjamin said, opening the door for her.
“And what is that supposed to mean?” Millie questioned.
“Oh, like you taking your mum’s car out for a spin to buy stuff for your party when you don't have a license.”
“How did you know about that? Oh, hang on . . . you’re such a pervert.”
“Hey, it’s my job,” he said with a smile. Then he helped her into the car.
“Savannah used to drive me around, so I didn’t even think about getting my license,” Millie said in protest.
She realised that she had said Savannah’s name and didn’t feel like crying. Instead, she smiled at the memory of her friend.
“Well, no more breaking the law, missy.”
“Would you stop calling me missy?!” Millie raised her voice in annoyance.
“Yes, I will stop calling you missy, missy,” he agreed with a grin.
For the first time in a long time, Millie was happy. She had someone close to her again, someone to talk to and hold. Above all, someone who watched out for her, someone who cared for her. A boyfriend. An Angel.
Benjamin drove to school as Millie thought of the previous night. She had fallen asleep in Benjamin’s arms after an exhausted day, packed with information she could hardly believe. His skin was warm and soft to sleep on. No nightmares came to her that night, just dreams of Benjamin. She stretched in the car, feeling well rested. Benjamin smiled and kissed her arm. Millie giggled to herself.
They pulled up to school. Benjamin opened her car door, and immediately people let out gasps and started to point. Millie smiled at him as he took her hand to help her out of the car. He closed the door and wrapped his arm around her shoulder.
“Well, this should be interesting,” Benjamin said with a kiss on her cheek. They began to walk. More and more people noticed them walking past. Jaws dropped. Eyes widened. Girls shot evil eyes at Millie. Out of the corner of her eye, Millie saw Isabel’s jaw drop with a hint of a smile. She smiled at her as she gave the thumbs-up.
They finally made it to the lockers. “Wow,” Millie said with a happy sigh.
“Well, that was fun,” Benjamin said, opening up his neat and tidy locker.
“I’m used to all the staring and pointing,” Millie said, looking down.
“Hey, they were mostly looking at me,” he said, closing his locker and holding up her chin. His glorious white smile returned to his face.
“Oh, shut up,” she said, punching his shoulder.
When the bell rang for lunch, Millie went looking for Benjamin, until someone grabbed her arm. She turned around and saw Isabel’s beaming face smiling at her. “Hey, Millie.”
“Hi, Isabel,” Millie said cautiously.
“I don’t mean to be bold, but since when are you and Benjamin dating?”
“Not that long,” she said, smiling.
“Come sit with me at lunch,” Isabel offered, linking her arm with Millie’s and practically dragging her to the cafeteria.
They sat down with their trays next to Isabel’s friends.
“Hello,” they said in unison.
Sasha was a tall, skinny girl with natural brown skin. Her forehead was slightly bigger than average, but her shoulder-length caramel hair was cut into bangs to hide it. Michelle had lighter brown skin and was shorter then Millie. Her lips would give Angelina Jolie a run for her money and her chest-length dark brown hair looked stunning.
As Sasha and Michelle continued their conversation, Isabel leant over to Millie. “Sorry I haven’t talked to you in a while. Sasha and Michelle thought it was a good idea to let you have a little bit of space after what had happened,” she said with a friendly smile.
“It’s okay,” Millie said, nibbling on some salad. “Thanks for being friendly. Everyone seems to stay out of my way unless I have a party.”
“No problem,” Isabel said as Sasha and Michelle started talking to them.
“So are you and Benjamin, aka the hottest guy in school, going out?” Michelle asked courageously.
“Yes, we are,” Millie confirmed, straightening her shoulders.
“Oh, you are so lucky,” Michelle added, sighing.
“Oh, try to not seem so disappointed, Michelle,” Sasha said.
“It’s hard not to. He’s so hot, and now he’s taken.” Michelle looked at Millie in disappointment. “You’re so lucky.”
“Thanks,” Millie said, not knowing how to react.
“So you guys are going to the prom together, then?” Isabel asked, eyeing off Michelle. The prom? Millie thought to herself. She had completely forgotten about it. Her mind had been elsewhere, always thinking about her friends and Benjamin. Savannah was the one who always brought the prom up in conversation months before the actual date. Millie and Savannah had planned to go as a couple and have a fun night, not worrying about impressing boys.
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