White Wings
Page 31
“I see you’re a fighter. You shouldn’t even bother,” Vania said, standing very close to Millie.
“Why are you doing this?” Millie asked, struggling to breathe.
“Mace needs to focus on his priorities. No human is going to come between Mace and his duties to Lucifer. Lucifer has big plans for Mace,” she said in a hollow voice that scared Millie. “And you are getting in the way. You have caused a lot of trouble. I like my life without trouble from a pathetic human.”
Before Millie could say anything, Vania suddenly appeared in front of Millie. She grabbed her throat and lifted her up in the air.
“Drake would have loved to kill you, but I desperately wanted to do it since your precious Guardian Angel tried to kill me!” She said with rage.
Millie couldn’t breathe. She kicked Vania with all the strength she had left. It didn’t work. Vania squeezed tighter. Millie’s eyes became bloodshot. Her lungs were desperate for air.
Suddenly, Vania threw her. Her body went flying through the air. She hit the front of the car. She held her shoulder in agony as she lay limp. She coughed, taking deep breaths to restore the air in her lungs. Her whole body was in misery. She felt bruises coming up. She smelt the blood that poured out of numerous parts of her body. Vania walked over to her.
“I don’t want you running away.”
She stood on Millie’s knee. Millie heard a pop and a crack. She screamed out in suffering. Tears streamed down her eyes. Vania picked her up again by the throat.
“Give my love to God. Well, if that’s where you end up, anyway.”
Vania threw Millie on the ground with force. Her body hit the ground with a thud. Her head hit the ground with a crack.
* * * * *
Mace knocked on the front door.
“Hello, Benjamin,” Wendy said, opening the door. “Come in.”
“Thank you.”
“Millie isn’t back yet.”
“Oh, really?” he said.
“But you can wait for her.”
“I might wait for her in her bedroom.”
“Okay,” Wendy said, closing the door.
Mace walked upstairs and closed the bedroom door behind him.
“She should have been home by now,” he said to himself in a concerned voice.
He had a bad feeling. He knew something had happened to her. He flew out of the window, high in the sky. If anyone had seen him, he would have looked like a large bird. He flew over the streets until he saw a car turned upside down. A gasp caught in his throat. He saw a body lying next to the car. He flew down to the ground at a rapid rate. He didn’t care if anyone saw him. He landed and saw it was Millie. He ran over to her.
“Millie!” he said, yelling at her.
He saw blood all over her. Blood covered her silver necklace. His ring was surrounded by glass. He dropped to the ground in shock. Her body was broken and bruised. He saw her eyes barely flick open. Her lips turned up in a slight smile.
“Millie,” he said with astonishment.
He stroked her cheek with his fingers. Her mouth was moving, but he couldn’t hear. He leant over.
“I held on for you,” she said as she started to cough up blood.
Mace pulled Millie into his arms. The blood ran onto his clothes and skin.
“My heart is yours forever,” she said ever so softly.
He smiled as he realised she had finally seen the inscription on her ring.
“My heart is yours, Millie,” he said as he looked at her.
Her smile disappeared as her eyes stopped flickering.
“Millie!” he cried, shaking her body. “Millie!”
Her body was motionless. Her breathing had ceased. Her heart had stopped beating.
Mace’s eyes filled with tears. His heart was breaking. “Millie, please don’t leave me.”
He held her body close to his, his arms tightly wrapped around her. Tears fell onto Millie, as his head fell onto hers. His crying became louder. The whole world was falling down around him. His entire reason for existing had just died in his arms. She had held on so she could see him one last time. He rocked her body in his arms. He didn’t want to let go of her. It would be the last time he would ever touch her. He felt like he couldn’t stand. His body felt weak. He knew this was worse than falling.
“I love you, Millie. For all eternity.”
He stroked her hair. His hands wiped away the blood from her eyes. He looked at her beautiful eyes one last time before he closed them.
He heard a car drive up behind him. He looked around and saw two elderly people get out of their car. Mace stood up with all the strength he had. He lifted Millie up with him. Her face fell against his chest. He turned around and started to walk towards the couple. His face was blank. He didn’t know what to do in a world without Millie.
Epilogue
The End or A New Beginning?
Mace stood on the grass whilst Millie’s casket was lowered into the ground. He watched as the love of his life was put to rest. His hand clutched a single red rose. He was wearing a black suit with a white collared shirt. He tightened up his tie as he looked around. Wendy was devastated. Ashley was putting on a brave face whilst he held onto his wife. Jonathan held a handkerchief in his hand as he tried not to cry. Sasha clung to Will as tears flowed down her cheeks. Michelle concentrated on Mace more than the funeral. Miss Sutherland and Mr Sterland stood with a group of teachers from the school. There was a mixture of gloom and confusion on their faces. They all thought about how many students they had buried this year.
“She was a beautiful daughter,” Ashley said, standing next to the priest. “We will all surely miss her beautiful smile every day. Our family will miss her greatly. Her friends will miss her. Her boyfriend will miss her.”
Mace cleared his throat. His face was blank. He couldn’t cry. He was in shock. He wanted to find out who did this to Millie, who brutally murdered her. No one had any reason to kill her anymore. All the grace had vanished from her. His jaw clenched in anger.
“Her life was taken too soon. A parent should never bury a child. Wendy and I will miss her every day of our lives, but we know that she is in a better place.”
Wendy and Ashley went over to three, caged, white doves. Mace walked over to join them and picked one up. Wendy, Ashley, and Mace let the white doves fly from their hands. Mace watched as the doves flew away. It reminded him of his wings. He felt like he was taking her to Heaven himself.
Mace saw someone standing behind a tree as one of the doves flew past. He looked closer. It was Zeke. He looked away as the priest said his last words.
* * * * *
The ceremony was over. One by one, people left. Everyone was going back to Ashley and Wendy’s house.
“You’re welcome to visit any time,” Wendy said, patting Mace on the back.
Mace turned around. “Thank you.”
Her eyes were red. She wore no makeup. She had on a black dress that stopped at her ankles.
“I’m glad you found her.”
She sniffled. Mace just nodded.
“I didn’t even see you leave the house.”
“I just thought of taking a walk whilst I waited for Millie.”
She nodded.
“I’ll see you at the house?” she asked.
“I’ll be there.”
“Okay. See you there, then.”
Wendy stumbled off.
Mace stood looking at the coffin for a long time. All the people had left. He didn’t want to leave her. He didn’t know what to do with his life now. He bent down.
"My heart will love you for eternity," Mace said whilst he tossed the rose on top of Millie's coffin.
“Mace,” he heard someone behind him say.
He stood up and turned around to find Teal there.
“I don’t want to speak to you,” Mace said, walking past him.
“Mace, stop!”
Mace hesitantly stopped and turned around. “Why didn’t you save her?” Mac
e said, walking up to Teal. “You’re her Guardian Angel, after all.”
“They attacked five of my charges from different parts of the world at once.”
Mace grabbed Teal’s blue shirt. “Why didn’t you save Millie? You knew how much she meant to me.”
“I lost three of my charges, including Millie. I just went to the closest charge that I could save. I’m sorry, Mace.”
“I never want to see you again.” He let go of Teal’s collar.
“Don’t be like that,” another voice said, coming from behind him.
He turned around and saw Lilly and Hudson. Lilly was wearing a knee-length, black, strapless dress with white lace around the top. Hudson wore black pants with a cream collared shirt.
“What are you doing here?” he asked them.
“We came to pay our respects to Millie,” Lilly said.
“Why didn’t you save her?”
“We didn’t know that she was being killed, Mace. You know that,” Hudson spoke.
“I don’t want to see any of you ever again,” Mace said, walking away.
“Mace,” Lilly called out.
Mace did not turn around or reply. He simply kept walking to the tree he had seen Zeke standing behind. He passed the tree and saw Zeke leaning on it.
“What do you want?” Mace asked.
“Nothing. I’m just grieving for the loss of Millie.”
“You don’t deserve to be here.”
“Why’s that? I loved her, too.”
Mace’s hands turned into fists. “Then why didn’t you save her?”
“I didn’t even know it was going to happen,” Zeke said, wiping his eyes. “If I knew it was going to happen, I would have saved her.”
Mace stared at him.
“We both have lost Millie. Don’t pretend that you’re the only one who was madly in love with her.”
“Don’t speak to me of how much you loved Millie.”
Zeke walked up close to Mace. “Or you’ll do what?”
“She chose me. Not you. Deal with it.”
Zeke’s eyes softened and he looked down. “If you didn’t fall for her, we could have been happy together.”
“Go to Hell.”
“I’ll see you there.”
Zeke turned around and walked away. He wanted to punch Mace, but Millie would not have wanted that. He clutched his chest as if his heart were breaking.
Mace walked back over towards Millie’s coffin. Teal, Lilly, and Hudson had disappeared, and Mace was glad. Rage and grief filled his whole body. He missed Millie’s touch. He missed her kisses and her beautiful body. He wished he was still her Protector so he could have healed her. He wanted to see Millie grow up. He wanted to be with Millie for her entire life. He didn’t know what to do anymore.
Suddenly, he sensed someone in front of him. He looked up to see Vania on the other side of Millie’s grave.
“What are you doing here?” Mace asked hastily.
He wanted to attack her, but he couldn’t anymore. He was a Fallen. On Vania’s side. He wondered if she had something to do with Millie’s death.
“I’m here to pay my respects to your dear Millie,” she said, tucking a black singlet into her tight, dark-blue jeans.
“You shouldn’t be here. You never liked her.”
“You’re right. I never liked her. She was pathetic.”
“Watch your mouth,” Mace said furiously.
“Don’t ever tell me what to do, Mace,” Vania said, walking slowly around Millie’s grave towards Mace. “I’m just here to help a fellow Fallen out. After all, you are one of us now.”
Mace stood there silently. He wished he wasn’t a Fallen. He didn’t want to be on the same side as Vania.
“Now you can concentrate on your duty to Lucifer,” Vania said, standing next to him.
“I was doing my fair share of work when Millie was alive.”
“Not enough,” Vania said, turning towards Mace.
She moved her body uncomfortably close to Mace. “He has plans for you,” Vania whispered in his ear.
Mace creased his forehead and turned to Vania, but she had disappeared. He looked around, but she was gone. He was confused. What does Lucifer want with me? he thought to himself.
He continued looking at Millie’s casket in the ground. He wished she was still alive. He wondered if he was the reason that she was murdered. He closed his eyes and pictured Millie’s face. Her eyes, her smile, her scar. He opened his eyes to the knowledge that he would never be able to touch or kiss that beautiful face again. She had been taken away from him too soon. Mace turned around and started walking away from her grave with sadness, anger, and revenge in his eyes.
Picture taken by Julian Photography
Aimee Jessica Russ was born and raised in Sydney, Australia, but lived on the Gold Coast for a brief period of time. She has studied Children Services and Multimedia. She joined and bagged second place in an NSW Clips competition, where she showed her talents for filmmaking. Writing is her passion. She has been writing ever since she was younger and has continued to write till this day. Her dreams are to be a successful writer, and in the future, to be a successful screenwriter. She enjoys writing, film, being creative and making people smile.
Table of Contents
Title
Copyright
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Prologue
1 First Day Back
2 A Familiar Place
3 The Conversation
4 The Party
5 The Kiss
6 The “It” Couple
7 The Not So “It” Couple
8 The New Teacher
9 In Hell
10 The Prom
11 In the Night Sky
12 Protecting Millie
13 A Vision
14 Feelings
15 Staying in Seattle
16 Returning Home
17 The Beginning of the End
18 The Battle
19 The Fight for Millie
20 The Aftermath
21 Alone
22 A Birthday Surprise
23 Waiting
24 With Love
Epilogue
About the Author