She was, Millie thought.
"She didn't come home for a couple of nights. Her parents thought she was with Scotty but they found out she wasn't. They became worried and reported it to the police.”
They sat in silence until Jonathan came back and took a seat. Michelle stole his punch. Jonathan sighed.
“Was he a good prom date?” Millie asked.
“He was all right,” Michelle said, eating some cookies.
Jonathan rolled his eyes.
“Where’s Benjamin?” Michelle asked with great interest.
“He moved away,” Millie said. She didn’t want to talk about him anymore. She wanted to forget he ever existed. He could only be with me if he fell, but he loves God, she thought.
“So you guys have broken up?” Michelle asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Yes.”
Michelle tried to hide her smile, but it was a failed attempt. “Can I have his number?”
“Michelle!” Sasha said, standing behind her.
“What? Fine,” Michelle said, walking away.
“Sorry about her,” Sasha said, sitting down. She looked worn out and tired.
“It’s not your fault.”
“I can’t believe she asked you that,” Sasha said.
“It was a bit rude,” Jonathan said, smiling at Millie, trying to cheer her up.
“Sasha?” someone called out.
“Sorry. I’ll talk to you guys later,” she said, standing up.
“Do you want to get out of here?” Jonathan asked unexpectedly.
Millie looked at him. “That would be great.” she said.
She felt depressed around Isabel’s family and friends. She was sick of being asked about Mace by everyone as well. They both said their good-byes and walked to his car.
He drove them to a small café in the city. Without even asking, he bought her a hot chocolate and a cinnamon doughnut.
“You didn’t have to buy me anything,” Millie said kindly.
“I wanted to,” he said with a smile.
They sat down at the front of the shop. The sun was burning her skin, but she didn’t mind it. She didn’t want to feel perfectly warm. They talked for a while. Millie was glad that she finally had someone to talk to. Her parents had called a couple of times from overseas. Millie was ready for them to come home, but she didn’t say that to them. Even though she wasn’t close to her parents, she didn’t want to be alone. They had called up more often when they found out Isabel had died. Millie liked how they still cared about her.
After a while, Jonathan drove Millie home. “Do you want my number? So we can hang out?” he asked with wide eyes.
“Sure,” Millie said, trying to sound happy.
He wrote his number on the back of a receipt he found on the floor.
“Thanks,” Millie said as she hopped out of the car. “For everything.”
“No problem.”
“Bye.”
“See you,” he said as he drove off.
Millie walked into her empty house. She was alone again. The house was quiet and didn’t seem like home anymore. She slowly made her way to her bedroom. She opened her window, sat on the ledge, and thought about the time she sat here waiting for Mace to return. She knew this time that he was never coming back. Her heart ached. She looked at the mountains and tried to think of something else, but it didn’t help. Jonathan had taken her mind off Mace for a short while, but it hadn’t lasted. Millie missed Mace. She missed his perfectly warm touch, his milky skin, his sexy smile, his wings, and most of all, his kiss.
A tear rolled down her cheek. She let it continue to fall down her neck and onto her dress. She just didn’t care about tears anymore. They were a daily habit that she couldn’t break. She continued to stare into the distance. She imagined that Mace would be flying back to her, but the sky was empty.
* * * * *
Summer’s full heat had arrived. The sun was blazing down, and the smell of sunblock was in the air. Birds took shade in any tree they could find. Dogs panted heavily whilst their owners took them for walks. Hats and sunglasses were everywhere to be seen.
Millie let the heat pour into her bedroom through the open window whilst she lay on her bed. She heard her neighbours' kids skipping in the street. They were laughing and having fun. Millie rolled over and placed a pillow on her head. She didn’t want to hear laughing. She didn’t want to hear anyone having fun. Her skin was pale, and black circles lingered under her eyes. She stayed inside every day. Her tan would normally be golden brown by now, but she didn’t want to go outside.
She didn’t want to burden Jonathan with all her problems. She wanted to call Sasha, but she couldn’t stand facing her. The guilt of Isabel’s death still lingered in her heart. She hardly moved from her bed. For a while, school had called to see where she had disappeared too after prom, but Millie just pretended to be a housekeeper and said the family was on vacation. She was glad the holidays had come and there would be no more calls from school. She wondered if anyone was going to remember her seventeenth birthday, which was in a month’s time, but at the moment she didn’t care. She didn’t want to have to move from her bed.
“Hello, beautiful,” a familiar voice said.
Millie sat up in surprise. Her heart jumped with shock. “Zeke?” she said, wiping her eyes.
He was wearing long, black pants with a black singlet. “The one and only,” he said with a smile.
Zeke walked over from the window and sat down at the end of her bed.
“Why are you here?” she asked, looking down at herself. She was not presentable. She was wearing old pink, faded PJs. Her hair was greasy and knotty. Her eyes were red and swollen. She worried that she smelt.
“I wanted to see you,” he said with a gentle smile.
Millie didn’t know what to say back. She thought something had happened to him. She hadn’t seen him since the battle.
“Sorry I haven’t come sooner. This was the only time I could come. The Fallen have been watching you, but your grace is fading so they’re losing interest now and they know that you will not tell anyone that Fallen are real.”
“That’s good,” Millie said. She hadn’t even been thinking about getting captured by the Fallen. Her mind was preoccupied elsewhere.
“Why didn’t they take me after M-Mace left?” Millie stammered.
“There have been other Angels watching over you.”
Millie wondered if it was Teal or Lilly or Hudson. She smiled at the thought of them caring for her.
“Are you okay?” he asked in a gentle tone.
Millie just stared at him.
“It’s summer. You should be outside. You should be hanging out with friends,” he continued.
“Everyone has left me,” Millie said as her lip quivered.
“I’m here,” he said.
Millie’s heart skipped a beat. It was the first movement she felt her heart make in a long time. She hadn’t even thought about her feelings towards Zeke. She did have some feelings at first but then she realised that Mace was the only one for her. Her heart was broken now, and all she could think about was Mace. The Angel who broke her heart. “Why are you so nice to me?” she asked.
“It’s because you’re a beautiful girl and you deserve it.”
She smiled.
“There we go. A smile.”
She laughed for the first time in a long time.
“Now let’s get you cleaned up,” he said, helping her out of bed. “Well, unless you want to go out in what you’re wearing.”
Millie grinned at him. “I’ll have a quick shower.”
“I’ll make you something to eat downstairs.”
“Okay,” she said, going into her bathroom.
After her shower, Millie put on a light green dress that came above her knees. It had thin straps and three white buttons at the front. She slipped on some white sandals and went downstairs. Zeke smiled as she walked over towards him. She sat down on a stool at the kitchen coun
ter.
“Here you go,” he said, passing her a glass of orange juice.
“Thanks.”
He gave her an egg salad sandwich.
“Why are you making me food?” she asked.
“You look like you haven’t been eating a lot,” he said, sitting down next to her.
It was true. She hardly felt hungry any more.
“It just hasn’t been on my mind,” she said, taking a bite.
“You should take better care of yourself.”
After she finished her sandwich, they went back up to her bedroom.
“Let’s go,” he said, standing next to the window
“Go where?” she asked.
“I’ll show you.”
He placed his hand out for Millie to take. She looked at it and then looked at his face. Millie placed her hand into his. It was hot, but Millie was glad it wasn’t perfectly warm. He grabbed her other hand and put her on his back.
“Hold on.”
Millie wrapped her legs around his waist and placed her arms around his neck. He stepped on the ledge and took flight. Millie squeezed tighter around his body. A smile came across her face. Even though she hated heights, she missed flying—but it reminded her of Mace. She felt safe with Zeke. She thought it was weird how he could fly without wings, but it was fun to hold onto his back. She never did that with Mace. She couldn’t because of his wings. Zeke’s body was hot and uncomfortable, but after a while the feeling went away.
He flew over mountains for awhile and then continued flying through the air. She wondered where he was taking her. Then she smelt it. She smelt the ocean. She heard seagulls flying near them. A smile appeared on her face. They were flying over the ocean. She was so happy.
He flew down towards the ocean and skimmed it with his hands. Millie saw it and she skidded her hand along the ocean as well. The water hit her face, and she smiled with joy. She had missed the ocean, missed swimming in it. A fin came up in front of them, and Millie squeezed Zeke tighter. He looked at her and smiled. A dolphin immediately dove out of the water and splashed at them. Millie couldn’t hold in her laughter anymore. She was having fun. She almost felt guilty.
They landed on the beach where nobody could see them. Most people where packing up and going home. The sun was ready to set. Millie hopped off Zeke’s back and he turned around.
“You having fun?” he asked with a smile.
“Thank you so much,” Millie said as the colour flushed back in her cheeks.
“I’m glad you liked it. I hated watching you be miserable all day.”
He tucked Millie’s hair behind her ears. Millie felt his hot hand brush her cheek and flinched. She didn’t know what she was doing. She didn’t even know if Mace was coming back or not. She wanted to move on, but what happened if he did come back? Her heart did have feelings towards Zeke, but she didn’t know how strong they were and if they would come back. Millie smiled and walked down towards the water. Zeke followed. They watched the sunset in silence for a while.
“I’m sorry that I tried to kiss you in Seattle,” he finally said, facing Millie.
She turned to face him but couldn’t find the right words.
“I just want you to be happy, and if that means you want to be with Mace, that’s fine with me. You deserve to be happy.” He said this all so kindly that Millie’s heart melted.
“I don’t know what I want,” Millie said sadly. “I don’t know what’s happening between me and Mace anymore.”
“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”
“I need to tell someone. It building up inside of me, and I can’t tell anyone. No one will understand.”
Millie thought of what to say. She trusted Zeke.
“Mace isn’t allowed to see me anymore. He said that he will find a way for us to be together again, but I don’t see that happening. He doesn’t want to become a Fallen, but I’m afraid that’s the only way for us to be together.”
“I wondered where he was,” Zeke said, looking away for a short while.
“Have you been watching me?”
“I watch you to see if you’re okay whenever I get the chance.”
Zeke was sending Millie into a spin. She was confused about everything. Her thoughts. Her feelings.
“I just don’t get why you’re so nice to me. You were supposed to take me to Lucifer when I had grace in me.”
“I care about you, Millie, and if I were Mace, I would fall for you in a heartbeat.”
Millie stared at him. She looked at his dark eyes and his mouth. She looked at his black hair above his eyebrows. It felt like her heart was slowly mending. A quick thought crossed her mind. If she was together with Zeke, Mace wouldn’t have to fall. But then she thought about what Drake would do to Zeke if he found out.
“I don’t want you to get hurt over me,” Millie said as her eyes filled with tears. She didn’t know why she felt like crying.
“I won’t, and even if I did, it would be worth it.”
He grabbed Millie’s hands and pulled her closer towards him, their bodies nearly touching. He pulled her hand up so he could kiss every one of her fingers, one by one.
“I just don’t know.”
“I understand,” he said, kissing her forehead.
He placed his forehead against hers. Their hands were keeping their bodies from touching. Millie didn’t care that he was hot; she only cared that someone actually showed her love. The sun slowly went down behind them.
Zeke flew her home, holding her in his arms. He slowly went through her bedroom window. She stood up and smiled at him.
“Thank you for today.”
“No problem,” he said with a smile that warmed Millie’s heart.
They stared at each other for a moment.
“I should go. I want to stay with you, but I need to be getting back.”
“Okay.”
“I’m sorry.”
He placed his hand on one cheek and kissed the other. Millie wanted him to stay. She wanted to talk more with him, but if he didn’t go, some Fallen would get suspicious.
“It’s fine. I’ll see you soon.”
“I’ll see you soon, Millie,” he said, flying out the window.
Millie sat on her bed. She was alone again. The house had become dark and not very welcoming. She sighed. She walked over to the window and sat on the ledge the whole night. She hated being lonely. Her thoughts would come back to her about everything: Mace, Isabel, Lexi, Lilly, and Zeke. She thought about where Zeke had taken her today. The beach had reminded her of Hawaii and Seattle. She didn’t want that to get to her, but it did. She sat on the ledge as still as a statue. The colour went from her cheeks. The smile went away, and the tears returned.
Twenty-Two
A Birthday Surprise
It was Millie’s birthday the next day. Zeke still had not returned to see her. Millie lay on her bed day in and day out. She hardly ate. The only time she got out of bed was when she needed to go to the bathroom. The house phone rang once a week, and she obligingly would pick it up and act all happy to her parents. She thought that Jonathan might have come around a couple of times knocking on her door, but she never answered. Her skin was white and the bags under her eyes had become bigger and darker. The scar on her forehead stood out, even though it was gradually fading. She knew it will always be there. Every time she looked in the mirror, the scar was a reminder that all of this had been real--that all of her friends had died was real, and that Mace and Angels existed and were real.
Millie’s stomach rumbled loudly. She ignored it for a while, but eventually the pain of hunger took over. She moaned and stumbled out of bed towards the kitchen. She put a piece of bread in the toaster and grabbed a glass from the cupboard and put it on the counter. She grabbed the milk from the fridge and swung it onto the counter. It skidded, hit the glass and it fell to the floor. A loud smash rang through her ears.
“Perfect.”
She leant down on the floor and start
ed picking up the big pieces of glass. She stopped for a moment and realised she was clenching a piece of glass in her hand and it had cut her. She saw the blood and remembered Isabel’s blood all around her. She remembered Lexi’s curls drenched in blood. She remembered the bloody hole in Savannah. She stared at her hand blankly. Her heart hurt so much, her body was in constant pain, and her eyes were constantly swollen with crying. She missed everyone. She was alone and in a dark place.
She held the glass to her wrist and left it there for a few seconds. She slowly glided the glass along her skin until someone knocked it out of her hand. Someone put their arms underneath her shoulders and pulled her up. She turned around to see who it was.
“What are you doing?” Zeke asked with great concern.
“I don’t wanna feel anything anymore.”
“I’m sorry I haven’t been around. Drake had me doing chores for him every minute of the day.”
“I’m used to it. Everyone else has left me.”
“I will never leave you. Remember that,” he said, shaking her shoulders.
She looked up at him, and tears flooded her eyes.
“Oh, Millie,” he said, picking her up. He sat down on the couch and cradled her in his arms. “I’m here now, Millie.”
He held onto her tightly. She could feel his hot body. She breathed in his smell. He smelt like roses with a hint of ash. Millie thought the smell was weird but amazing.
She felt his hand let go of her. She desperately wanted him to keep holding on. He placed his hand around her neck. She looked up at him and then down at her neck as he placed his other hand there. She saw him putting on a silver chain necklace with a small, plump, silver heart dangling off the end of it.
“Happy birthday for tomorrow.”
“Wow. It’s beautiful,” she said, holding it in her hands.
“I’m glad you like it.”
“But how did you know?”
“I know a lot of things,” he said with a cheeky smile.
She smiled back. It feels good to smile, she thought.
“I love your smile,” he said, brushing her cheek.
She flinched, but he continued stroking.
“Does this necklace have any symbolism?” she asked, fiddling with the heart charm.
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