“That’s very kind of you,” Benjamin said, giving Millie a kiss on the cheek. “Morning, beautiful,” he whispered in her ear.
Millie could have fainted right there and then if her mother wasn’t there watching them. His whisper made her whole body tingle.
“Now I know where Millie gets her good looks from,” Benjamin continued with his charming half-smile.
“Oh, why, thank you,” Wendy said as her cheeks went slightly pink. “It’s a shame how Ashley is at work. He would have loved to meet you.”
“I will have to come around when he’s here, then,” Benjamin said, wrapping his hand around Millie’s waist.
“That would be lovely. It would definitely have to be for dinner,” Wendy said, thinking out loud. “Anyway, I will leave you kiddos alone; I have to hang out washing,” she said, walking off.
“See you,” Benjamin said. He then turned to Millie and planted a kiss on her lips. “You thought I had left you again, didn’t you?” he asked.
“Yeah, I did,” Millie said, stroking his hair.
“I am not leaving you again. This time I mean it,” he said, rubbing his finger against her cheek.
Millie smiled. “Sorry that my mum is so goofy,” she said, heading over to the cupboard, looking for food.
“It’s fine. I have been around for a long time, so I am used to all sorts of different kinds of people.”
Millie froze. “Exactly how long have you been an Angel?”
“I have been an Angel for five hundred years.”
Millie’s mouth dropped open. “Five hundred years?”
“Yes, I am five hundred years old, but I am in the body of an eighteen-year-old.”
“Wow,” Millie managed to spit out. “I never really thought about that before now.” She put some toast down in the toaster. “So you have been on Earth for that long?”
“Basically, I have. I was created in Heaven. I first was taught everything I needed to know about Heaven, Angels, humans, and Earth. Then I was placed on this Earth as a Protector.”
“Do you remember what Heaven was like?” Millie asked.
“Well, it has been a very long time since I was there, but I just remember it being white and gold. It sounds boring, but it’s the most beautiful place I have ever been. Just white lights and golden pillars wherever you go. It was peaceful--no evil. So many Holy Angels praising the Lord. There were no colours or objects, just Angels--unlike Earth. It took me awhile to realise that I would probably never go back to Heaven. When I first got here, Earth was a strange place for me, and it took awhile for me to get used to the human body and its maintenance.”
“You miss it, don’t you?” Millie asked, buttering her toast.
“Every day,” Benjamin said with saddened eyes. “But now I have you to brighten up my days.” Benjamin snatched the toast from Millie’s hand that she was about to eat.
“Excuse me?” Millie said in protest.
“If you want your Angel to be strong and healthy to protect you, I need my sustenance,” Benjamin said with a laugh.
Eight
The New Teacher
As Millie and Benjamin walked into their history class, they noticed immediately that Mr Sterland wasn’t his punctual self. The students were chatting loudly, throwing paper at each other, or listening to their iPods. Millie took her seat whilst Benjamin sat at the desk next to her.
A woman walked into the room. She was pale with bleached, blonde hair that was almost white. It stopped just below her shoulder. Her hair was pulled to one side of her face, and she was wearing a floor-length black dress with black high heels that banged loudly on the floor as she walked. It was almost haunting. Everyone in the class went silent. She wrote her name on the board.
“Hello, class, my name is Miss Hades,” she said with a smirk.
Her piercing light blue eyes looked around the classroom until they found Millie. It sent shivers down Millie’s spine. Miss Hades’ eyes lingered, staring into Millie’s for a few seconds longer, until she turned back to the other students in the class. She was unusual-looking, but there was something beautiful about her as well.
Millie looked at Benjamin. His face was scrunched up as he clutched his stomach. “Are you okay?” she whispered.
“No, I sense something,” he said, curling his lips.
“What do you sense?” Millie said in a panic.
“I sense an evil presence,” Benjamin said. All of a sudden, he stopped clenching his stomach and his face turned back to normal.
“What do we do?” Millie looked at him in surprise.
“It’s gone.” Benjamin looked shocked.
“What do you mean, it’s gone?” Millie took his hand.
“The evil presence is gone. It was so powerful, but it disappeared.”
“Should we be worried?” Millie asked, squeezing his hand tightly.
Miss Hades noticed them talking. “Excuse me. Can you two stop talking?” she said as her intense eyes looked at Millie and Benjamin.
“Sorry, Miss Hades,” Benjamin said in a kindly voice.
Millie and Benjamin glanced at each other with worried looks.
“As I was saying, Mr Sterland will be back after the summer break. He won a vacation to Europe. Now a little about myself: I am twenty-four years old and I am new at teaching, but that doesn’t mean you can pick on the new teacher. I will bite back,” she said, eyeing everyone in the room.
Some of the students were looking at each other with “What the--?” faces.
“I have loved history since I was a child, and I want to pass my knowledge onto the next generation. I hope you all enjoy and behave.”
* * * * *
Millie and Benjamin sat alone at lunchtime underneath their favourite tree at the front of the school.
“It must have been very powerful,” Benjamin said, breaking the silence.
“The evil presence?” Millie asked.
“Yes. It was instantly there and it left so quickly.”
“What should we do?” Millie asked, concerned.
“I have to report it to Malachi.”
“Who’s Malachi?”
“He is the Angel who is in charge of all the Protectors on Earth.”
“Wow, okay. Sorry, I still can’t believe all of this Angel stuff,” Millie said, shaking her head.
“It’s a lot to take in; it does take time. But I’m not going to tell you everything, though.”
“Why not?” Millie asked in a demanding voice.
“The less you know, the better. In case they ever captured you.”
“Oh, okay,” Millie said, thinking about if she ever was captured by a Demon. What would happen? she wondered.
“So when did the evil presence come?” Millie pressed, trying to keep her mind off being captured.
“When Miss Hades came in the room,” Benjamin said with widened eyes.
“Crap, that’s bad,” Millie said, starting to freak out.
“Calm down, Millie.” He grabbed her hand and kissed it softly. “It could either mean that there is an evil spirit attached to her, or . . .” Benjamin looked at Millie.
“Or what?” Millie asked.
“Or she could be a Fallen. They could have found you, Millie,” Benjamin said, and Millie’s face turned pale.
As the bell rang, Benjamin gave Millie his car keys.
“You will be safe at school. I need to report to Malachi. Wait for me in my car after school,” Benjamin said, planting a strong kiss on her forehead. Millie nodded as she started to walk to her next class. Benjamin watched her until she was out of his sight.
* * * * *
Millie wasn’t focused in her next class at all. The teacher was talking, but nothing was being processed in her head. What will happen if they have found me? Is Miss Hades a Demon? Millie thought.
When the final bell rang, Millie ran to Benjamin’s car. She fumbled with the keys nervously until the car unlocked. She hopped in the car and locked it again. A few minutes passe
d that seemed forever, until finally a knock came on the driver’s side window. Millie jumped. She looked up to find Benjamin standing outside of the car. Millie unlocked the car.
“You all right?” Benjamin asked after he kissed her lips passionately.
“I’m okay,” Millie said, holding his hand.
Benjamin always made her feel safe. The warm volts that went through her body were telling her that everything was going to be okay.
“What happened with you and Malachi?” Millie asked.
“I told him what had happened, and he said I basically have to watch over you every minute of the day. I have to be with you or keep you in my view so nothing will happen to you. He seemed concerned. He said that school is a safe place to go because of all the students here. Nothing can happen to you at school. He also said we can’t run because if Miss Hades is a Fallen and finds out that you’re gone, she would know that you know she is after you.”
“Wow. Okay. I’m scared, Benjamin. What happens if she is really after me?” Millie said, shocked.
“I will always be there. I will let nothing happen to you,” Benjamin said, squeezing her hand. “I have been ordered to spend every second of the day with you.”
“I suppose that’s a bonus,” Millie said with a slight smile.
* * * * *
“Is it okay if Benjamin stays for dinner?” Millie asked her mum.
“Certainly. Ashley is going to be home for dinner, so you two can finally meet,” Wendy said with a smile.
“It would be good to finally meet the father of my girlfriend, especially since it was such a pleasure meeting her beautiful mother,” Benjamin said with his sexy half-smile.
“Would you stop that?” Millie said, elbowing Benjamin.
“How gracious you are,” Wendy said, flicking her hair.
“Yes, I have been told I am full of grace,” Benjamin said, winking at Millie.
When Ashley arrived, they sat down to dinner.
“So where did you live before you came to Phoenix?” Ashley asked, munching on some lettuce.
“I was in Canada for a while. My parents move a lot,” Benjamin replied.
“What do your parents do?” Ashley asked as Millie’s face went blank.
He doesn’t have any parents. He’s an Angel, she screamed in her head.
“My father and my mother are both doctors. They don’t like staying in one place at one time. If a doctor’s position comes up in a different state or country, they will be right there. They often travel to Africa to help out with aid.”
“How wonderful,” Ashley said. “I would love to meet them some time. I travel around the world very often.”
“What do you do?” Benjamin asked.
“Well, I know ten languages, so I either teach or translate.”
“You’re very smart,” Benjamin said as Ashley pulled back his shoulders with pride.
“Are you an only child, like our dear Millie?”
“Yes, I am. I don’t think my parents had enough time on their hands to have more kids,” Benjamin said, skilfully convincing Ashley and Wendy that he was actually a human.
“Do you have a job?” Wendy asked.
“Jeez, Mum, what’s with all the questions?” Millie asked loudly.
“I’m just curious about the boy who is dating my daughter,” Wendy replied.
After a short silence, Benjamin broke in. “Looking after Millie is my one and only job."
* * * * *
Later that night, as Benjamin climbed through the window, he commented, “I really didn’t mind answering their questions, Millie.”
“I’m sorry. I was just getting nervous about all the lies you were telling,” Millie explained, giving him a kiss on his cheek.
“I have been taught how to lie to humans, Millie. Don’t worry. Plus looking after you is my job.”
“I know. And, of course, you have been taught to lie to humans,” she said with a smirk. “So why were you asking them questions? Didn’t you, like, study me so you know every little detail about my family?”
“Yeah, I know everything, but it’s good to hear from the actual person for a change,” he said, lying on her bed.
He opened his arms, and Millie couldn’t resist snuggling with him. He stayed there all night, watching over her. He did not want to lose her; he was in love with her. Defying the rules of Heaven for a human--he cringed at the fact that Malachi didn’t even say a word about his human love. He would definitely know at this point. Why didn’t he say anything? Benjamin mused to himself as he looked at Millie peacefully sleeping.
* * * * *
The next morning, as Benjamin drove to school, Millie asked, “Are you okay?”
He had parked his car around the corner so Ashley and Wendy could not see it. When he pulled up after climbing out of Millie’s window, Wendy waved to him, not suspecting a thing.
“My mission of protecting you included not talking to you. When I did, I got a warning from Malachi. That’s why I was ignoring you.”
“Yes, I remember,” Millie said, rolling her eyes.
“Now that I am breaking the rules of Heaven--and Malachi would have found out by now--he should have said something to me, but he didn’t.”
“Maybe he hasn’t found out,” Millie said, thinking out loud.
“Malachi is not that naive. Nothing gets past him.”
“What do you think it is, then?” Millie asked.
“I don’t know,” Benjamin said with a straight face, looking at the road.
“Should I be worried?” Millie asked, hesitantly.
“I don’t know,” Benjamin said, repeating himself but keeping that same straight face.
* * * * *
“Gosh, that new teacher is so pale. Has she been hiding in a deep, dark cave for several years?” Michelle said randomly.
“What is it with you and skin?” Sasha said, shaking her head.
“But she does look a little freaky. You have to admit,” Michelle said, pouting her lips.
“Have you seen her eyes? They’re so light blue, it hurts to look at them,” Isabel commented.
“Don’t forget her white hair and freakishly pale skin,” Michelle added.
“She does look different,” Millie agreed. She thought she should join in on the conversation, even though the new teacher could have been sent to kill her.
“She could totally be an alien from outer space,” Michele said, putting her hands up.
“Will you quit it?” Sasha said. “She seems nice enough.”
Benjamin gave Millie a kiss on the back of her neck and sat down next to her. It sent a tingling feeling down her spine.
“Hello, girls,” he said with a smile. “What are you girls talking about now?”
“The new teacher, Miss Hades,” Michelle said. Benjamin’s face dropped.
“Interesting,” he said, trying to pretend he’s interested.
“So where have you been?” Isabel said, almost interrogating him. “Haven’t spoken to you since you left.”
“I went back up to Canada to visit some of my friends,” Benjamin said. “I lived in Canada for a while before moving to Phoenix.”
“Where about in Canada?” Isabel asked.
“Toronto,” he replied.
“Of course,” Isabel said, eyeing him.
* * * * *
“Your friend Isabel doesn’t trust me,” Benjamin said later whilst sitting on Millie’s bed.
“Well, she found it suspicious that you just suddenly didn’t come back after your suspension. She’ll come around,” Millie said, sitting on the windowsill.
“She cares about you.”
Millie’s lips turned into a smile. She had a friend who cared about her.
“Speaking of friends . . .” Benjamin said, unzipping his bag.
There was a purple wrapped present in his hands.
“It’s for you,” he said, walking over to Millie and planting a kiss on her cheek.
“For me?” sh
e said in excitement.
Her hands quickly undid the wrapping. It was a photo frame.
“It’s for the photo of your friends,” he said, pointing at the broken photo frame that was still on her bedside table.
“Thank you,” Millie said, kissing his seductive lips before slipping the photo into the new golden frame.
As she looked at the new photo frame with her old photo in it, she smiled.
“I’m glad you like it,” Benjamin said with satisfaction.
Millie rolled over, placing her body in Benjamin’s arms. She closed her eyes with happiness. She was so happy. She had wonderful friends and literally a perfect boyfriend. But then she thought of Miss Hades. She opened her eyes in distress.
“Don’t be going to sleep. Dinner smells like it’s nearly ready,” Benjamin said, disrupting Millie’s thoughts.
“I was just thinking,” Millie said.
“About what?” Benjamin inquired.
“Everything.”
“Dinner!” Wendy shouted up the stairs.
“What did I tell you?” Benjamin said, forgetting about his other question.
As they walked to the door, Millie suddenly had a thought.
“Do you sleep?” she asked, realising that she had never seen him asleep before.
“Well, Angels do have to sleep when they’re in human bodies, but we can go a week without sleeping.”
“That is so freaking cool. I bet you’re good at pulling all-nighters, then.”
“Sure am,” Benjamin said with a wink.
Nine
In Hell
When the weekend came, Millie was happy that Miss Hades hadn’t attempted to kill her. She rolled down her window and let her hair be free in the wind. Benjamin turned up the radio as they continued to drive to the lake. The heat was rising as summer was approaching.
As they parked the car and walked to the water, they realised that everyone had the same idea as them. They finally found a spot to put their belongings on. Millie slipped off her white summery dress, and her red bikini made some guys stare with opened mouths. Millie saw Benjamin looking her up and down.
“What?” she said with a smile.
“You look so beautiful,” Benjamin said, taking off his shirt to reveal his muscles. “All the guys here would kill to have you.” He walked over to her and kissed her lips.
White Wings Page 9