White Wings

by Aimee Jessica Russ

  Drake turned around and stared at him. “You sure?” he asked angrily.

  “If she doesn’t go now, she’s going to die. She will be of no use to us then,” Zeke said, looking into Millie’s pained eyes.

  “You’re one lucky girl,” Drake said, pulling her by the hair over to Zeke. “Until next time.” He threw her down at Zeke’s feet.

  Drake stomped loudly over to his chair and sat down, looking unaccomplished.

  Zeke lifted Millie up to her feet carefully. “I’m sorry,” he whispered to her.

  “Hurry up!” Drake demanded, his voice echoing.

  Zeke placed his hand gently on the back of Millie’s head. He slowly brought his face to hers. She had no strength to push him away from her. His lips touched hers ever so gently. The kiss became harder and longer until Millie disappeared from Zeke’s hands.

  * * * * *

  Millie coughed up water and took a deep breath. Her eyes opened to see a crowd of people standing around her. Benjamin’s face was pale and drawn. The medics’ faces looked startled. Her body was shaking with cold. Benjamin’s mouth was moving, but she couldn’t hear him. She looked around. The dirt on her back irritated her.

  “Can you hear me?” Millie finally heard Benjamin say.

  She nodded. Some of the spectators gasped.

  “We’re taking her to the hospital,” one of the paramedics said.

  Millie felt Benjamin’s warm hand on her cheeks. It made Millie feel safe. She wanted to tell Benjamin what had happened, but then she blacked out.

  * * * * *

  She woke up in a white gown. She was much warmer than she had been. Her nose could still smell the lake, but as she looked around, she recognised where she was--the hospital. A sigh came out of her mouth. She knew this place too well.

  Benjamin opened the curtain and went to her side. “Millie,” he said in a happy voice as he kissed her forehead. “Sorry I wasn’t here when you woke up. I was talking to the doctor.” He sat down on a chair and grabbed her hand. “How are you feeling?”

  “I feel all right,” Millie said in a croaky voice. She cleared her throat.

  A familiar face walked in next. It was Dr Conrad.

  “Hello, Millie. Do you remember me?” he asked, picking up her chart.

  “Yeah,” she said, noticing how sore her throat was.

  “Well, aren’t you a little fighter?” he said, putting her chart down.

  “What do you mean?” Millie asked, struggling to talk.

  “Well, considering all that you have been through, your body just keeps getting stronger and stronger,” Dr Conrad said, walking next to her.

  Millie looked at Benjamin, confused.

  “Millie, you were dead for thirty minutes,” he said with sadden eyes. “I called out for you, but I heard no reply. I realised that you hadn’t come up from under the water, so I dove, and you were pretty deep. I brought you to the surface and called for help. You weren’t breathing.”

  “The ambulance officers who were with you said it was a miracle that you were alive. They were sure you were gone. They were going to stop compressions, but then you woke up with no apparent brain damage. Just a plain miracle,” Dr Conrad said, rubbing his cheek in amazement.

  Ashley and Wendy burst into the room. “Millie, would you stop scaring us?” Wendy said, running over to her and hugging her.

  “You gave us a real shock,” Ashley said, kissing her cheek. “Glad that you’re okay.” He gave her a fatherly smile.

  “It’s a true miracle,” Dr Conrad said in amazement. He turned to Ashley and Wendy. “Can I talk to you outside?”

  “Certainly. We need to know everything,” Wendy said, leading Ashley and Mr Conrad out of the room.

  “What happened?” Benjamin quickly said as they left the room. “I tried to heal you several times when your heart was still beating, but it didn’t work.”

  “I was in Hell,” Millie said, clenching her sore throat. She could still taste lake water in her mouth. Benjamin’s eyes widened in disbelief.

  “You were in Hell? You must have been dreaming,” he said as his forehead wrinkled.

  “How else do you explain that you couldn’t heal me?” Millie said, licking her lips. “I was in Hell. I saw Demonics and their human slaves.”

  Benjamin looked at her in horror.

  “A man named Zeke took my soul from my body and brought me to Hell. “ She remembered their kiss and touched her lips.

  “A tall man named Drake wanted to know what you had told me about Heaven, Angels, anything. He hurt me,” she said, remembering the pain.

  Benjamin looked at her with terror.

  “Oh, Millie, I am so sorry. I should have stayed away from you.” His eyes glistened. “He hurt you, and I wasn’t there to protect you. I didn’t even sense you had been pulled under. I didn’t even sense an evil presence.” He sounded disappointed in himself. He pressed his head against the bed. He didn’t want Millie to see his vulnerable side. Millie lifted his head up.

  “Don’t worry, I didn’t tell him anything. I was strong for you,” Millie said, pulling him closer to her.

  Benjamin lips were on Millie’s in an instant. The kiss was hard and strong. “Let’s take you home,” he said, placing his forehead against hers.

  Despite Dr Conrad’s concern that she should be monitored overnight, Millie demanded she be taken home. After signing the forms, Ashley, Wendy, and Benjamin took her home. She ate dinner in bed, and Benjamin never left her side. He felt horrible that he couldn’t protect her. It was his job, and he had failed.

  There was a knock at the door. “Come in,” Millie said, sipping on a glass of water.

  “Your father and I are going to bed now. If you need anything, darling, don’t hesitate to ask. Night, Millie. Night, Benjamin.” Wendy closed the door.

  “Night,” they both said instantly.

  “It was nice of your mother to let me stay over,” Benjamin said.

  “No sneaking around tonight,” Millie replied with a smile. “Can I ask you some questions?” Millie sat up as Benjamin took her dinner plate and placed it on the bedside table.

  “Yes, you can.”

  “Is the Heaven that you describe the one humans go to?” she asked.

  “No, it’s not,” Benjamin said, looking surprised at her question. “The Heaven I described to you is where the Angels live. The Heaven humans go to is sort of like Earth but much better. The colours are more vibrant. There are no worries; everyone is just happy all the time. There is no evil, no darkness. No one is ever scared. It’s just beautiful, magnificent, and wonderful. I just can’t explain it to its full potential. You would just have to see it for yourself to take in all of its glory.” He turned to look at Millie.

  “Wow! That sounds amazing.”

  “Why do you ask?” he questioned.

  “It’s just that what I saw of Hell was just awful. It was full of darkness. It smelt damp, dusty, and old. The Demonics I saw scared me.” She held onto Benjamin’s hand. “I just want to fill my vision with Heaven, where someday I might hopefully be.” Her eyes saddened. “But Heaven won’t be perfect without you.”

  “I don’t want to talk about us not being together,” he said, squeezing her.

  “Ow!” Millie said loudly.

  “What is it?” Benjamin asked as he stopped hugging her.

  “My back,” Millie said, in pain. Benjamin rolled her over and lifted up her shirt. It was covered in purple bruises. Benjamin didn’t say anything.

  “What is it?” Millie asked.

  “Bruises,” Benjamin said bluntly.

  “What?” Millie said, trying to look over her shoulders. “Could they be from what Drake did to me?”

  “Yes, I think so. He hurt your soul, and it has taken awhile for the injuries he inflicted upon you to come up on your body.” As he touched the bruises, he became furious at what Drake had done to her.

  He gently rolled Millie so she was on her back and his mouth dropped.


  “What’s wrong?” Millie asked, scared.

  “Your face,” he said, touching it.

  Millie flinched at the pain. She hopped out of bed, nearly falling over, until Benjamin quickly caught her.

  “It hurts to walk,” she said, looking down at her legs. There were bumps and cuts everywhere.

  “I’ll take you back to bed.”

  “No, I want to see,” Millie insisted.

  Benjamin took her to the mirror in the bathroom. She gasped to see half of her face purple and blue. Benjamin pulled her back from the mirror and carried her to the bed.

  “Look what he did to you,” he said, outraged.

  “It hurts so much.” Millie lay there in pain.

  Benjamin was about to heal her until she heard wings and a knock at the window.

  “What was that?” Millie asked in horror.

  “He won’t hurt us,” Benjamin said, walking over and opening the window.

  A man climbed inside. He was a little bit shorter then Benjamin. He had short, messy, sandy blonde hair. His white shirt was ripped at the back.

  “What are you doing here?” Benjamin asked.

  “She disappeared off my radar. I tried to find her but couldn’t. Then she was suddenly back. This is the soonest I could visit,” he said worriedly.

  “That’s because she was in Hell,” Benjamin said.

  “What? Hell? That can’t be.”

  “While we were swimming, something pulled her under the water. Someone called Zeke took her soul to Hell. I was just left to hold onto her soulless body.”

  “Do you know what happened in Hell?” their visitor asked, still rubbing his head in disbelief.

  “Just look at her,” Benjamin said, pointing at Millie. They both walked closer to her.

  “This is Teal. He is an Angel,” Benjamin said, sitting next to Millie. Teal gasped at the sight of Millie’s torn-up body. There were cuts, bruises, or bumps covering every inch of her.

  “Who did this?” Teal asked.

  “A man named Drake.”

  “Do you know him?” Benjamin asked Teal.

  “I haven’t heard of that name.”

  “I recognise you,” Millie said to Teal.

  “He was the guy I was talking to in the parking lot at school,” Benjamin said, placing his hands gently on her face and stomach.

  “Oh, yeah,” Millie said softly as Benjamin slowly healed her.

  It took longer than normal, but in several minutes, she was good as new.

  “Thank you,” Millie said, kissing Benjamin on the cheek. “I feel much better.” She stretched her body. “Is my scar gone?” she suddenly asked, touching her forehead.

  “If I healed that, people would notice,” Benjamin said, kissing the scar.

  “Glad you’re better, Millie,” Teal said. Then he turned to Benjamin. “Did you sense the evil presence?”

  “I did not,” he said bluntly.

  Millie spoke up. “Don’t beat yourself up over it. If this person can take my soul away from my body, I’m sure he’s powerful enough to block his evil presence.”

  “She’s right, Benjamin. It wasn’t your fault,” Teal said.

  “I’m your Protector; I should have sensed it.”

  “This Zeke person seems powerful, so just move on,” Teal said, trying to comfort Benjamin.

  “I don’t mean to be rude, but why are you here, Teal?” Millie said, studying him.

  He was stunning. He had soft delicate features, and his eyes matched his name--they were a mixture of blue and green. They were so beautiful. He had smaller muscles than Benjamin, but his shoulders were broad. His sandy, blonde hair was a little messy but still looked perfect. As he smiled at the question, dimples showed in his cheeks.

  “Your Protector seems to have fallen in love with you. If something happened to you, he would not be the same without you. I am here because I care about my friend and you.”

  “Wow. Thank you,” Millie said, looking at Benjamin.

  “Well, now that I know you are safe, Millie, I will be off,” Teal said, backing up to the window.

  “Well, for now at least,” Benjamin said bluntly.

  “Have fun with the grumpy bum,” Teal said with a smile.

  Millie chuckled. She looked at Benjamin, then at Teal. How did my life change so dramatically in the past couple of months? I have two beautiful Angels in my bedroom. One is my Protector and my boyfriend, and the other one seemed to be close to Benjamin and also cared about me. If someone had told me that my life would have changed this much, I would have called them a freak, Millie thought.

  As Teal’s wings sprang through his shirt, he turned his face towards them for the last time and smiled. He stood on the windowsill, leapt into the air and flew off with a force. Millie looked at Benjamin and saw that he was concentrating really hard. She looked at where his eyes were staring, but there was nothing there.

  “Benjamin,” Millie said many times until he snapped out of it.

  “Sorry, Malachi was talking to me. He just found out that you have been to Hell. I didn’t have enough time to tell him, and he was angry,” Benjamin said, rubbing his head.

  “Is that how you guys talk?” Millie asked in amazement.

  “Yeah, we communicate that way. When I need to talk to him, I go to a quiet place to make contact with him, preferably somewhere high.”

  “Wow, that’s amazing,” Millie said, wide-eyed. “What did he say?”

  “He said that you’re no longer safe here. They have found out where you are, but they don’t know where you live yet or they would have taken you already.”

  “So what do we do?” Millie asked hurriedly.

  “He said that we need to stay put for the time being.”

  “What do you mean ‘stay put’? Didn’t he say that I’m not safe here anymore?” Millie asked in a rage.

  “Yes, he did say that, but we don’t need to leave just yet.” He stared at Millie. “If we leave now, we will have to make up an excuse to your parents and school. That would be hard, especially for your parents.”

  “Then tell my parents the truth.” Millie stood up and started pacing back and forth.

  “If they know about everything, they will be in danger as well. Do you want that?”

  “No, of course not,” Millie said as Benjamin went to her side and grabbed her hands.

  “I have failed to protect you in the past, but this time I won’t let anything happen to you, Millie. I promise,” he said, pulling her in for a hug. Millie held on tight with fear.

  Ten

  The Prom

  For the next couple of weeks, Benjamin never left Millie’s side. Millie’s parents questioned how healthy it was for them to be hanging out so much together, but Millie fought them off. They thought it was offensive to her friends that she had stopped hanging out with them. Millie did miss hanging out with the girls, but it was for their and her own good that they should not be near each other.

  Every time Miss Hades walked near Millie, Benjamin would hold Millie tight and close to him. His eyes would narrow and his lips would curl. Sometimes Millie would look at her, but her blue eyes were so intense that she had to look away.

  On the rare occasion that Isabel and Millie would speak, Isabel would always question why Benjamin hadn’t asked her to the prom yet. Millie just waved it off. The last thing on Benjamin’s mind is to ask me to prom when he has to protect me from evil, she always thought to herself.

  Scotty asked Isabel one day after school. She saw Millie walking to Benjamin’s car and ran up to her with excitement, immediately telling her what just happened. She ignored Benjamin, as she blamed him for taking Millie away from the group. Sasha was going with Will, who was tall, dark-skinned, with a shaved head. From afar, Millie saw how Sasha’s face would beam whenever Will talked to her or gave her a wink. Michelle, however, hadn’t been asked to prom just yet, and her frustration was showing on her face. Her thick lips were always pouted and her forehead was always creased.r />
  “I don’t like what Benjamin’s doing to you,” Isabel said as she stood next to Millie’s locker after class one day. “He’s tearing us apart. Sasha and even Michelle are worried, too.”

  “I’m sorry?” Millie said, emptying her bag of heavy books into her locker. She looked to see where Benjamin had disappeared to, but she missed one-on-one time with Isabel, so she quickly stopped searching.

  “He can’t have you all the time. He needs to learn that you aren’t his property. You need some friend-time as well. He’s too controlling and needy. Most of the time, you guys don’t even talk or sit with us,” Isabel said, crossing her arms.

  “We’re just in love, okay? We want to be together,” Millie said, spitting out the first thing that came into her head.

  She did love him--that wasn’t a lie. But Millie did want to tell Isabel everything so she would understand. She hated how Isabel noticeably hated Benjamin now. Millie missed how all of her friends used to go weak when Benjamin talked to them.

  “At the cost of our friendship?” barked Isabel.

  “You wouldn’t understand, Isabel,” Millie said, closing her locker.

  “Oh, so I wouldn’t understand because I haven’t been in love.”

  “It’s not like that, Isabel,” Millie said in a louder voice.

  “What is it like, then?”

  “I can’t,” Millie said, squeezing her eyes closed with pain. She felt like crying. She was making her friend angry and sad. She hated it.

  “And to think that I felt sorry for you when all your friends died,” Isabel said, walking away. “Contact me when the old Millie returns.”

  In an instant, Benjamin was there, holding Millie in his arms. Her head was pressed against his chest. Sadness was flowing through her body. What Isabel had said to her hurt. Her eyes started to fill with tears. Millie grabbed onto Benjamin and let her tears flow.