by G. Bailey
His lips twitch in amusement. “Thank you,” he tells me, and I stare in horror as I realise I must have said the sexy laugh thing out loud. To my great relief, we get to the top of the staircase to our rooms, and Ves chooses then to wake up as Thallon carefully puts her down.
“Thank you for the lift, sexy gardener guy,” she mumbles and then walks shakily down the stairs.
“I should go and make sure she gets into bed and there is a glass of water waiting for her to wake up to,” I say, and Thallon nods.
“Tomorrow I need help with the gardens. I know it’s your first day off the academy, so you can say no—” he says.
“I’d love to help you. What time and where do you want to meet up?” I ask, seeing the awkward relief in his eyes.
“Meet me at ten in the morning by the roses,” he tells me before he turns away and starts to walk off. “And goodnight, Miss Lightson. I hope you sleep well.”
“And you, Mr. Cross,” I reply as I step onto the stairs. Against my better judgement, I look back and find his eyes watching mine so closely.
Both of us smile, and I shake my head, knowing I need to get into bed. After all, I have a new job starting tomorrow.
Chapter 14
“Morning, sleepyhead,” Ren whispers to me, and I blink my eyes open to see him lying on the bed next to me, his head resting on the other pillow yet leaving no imprint. I should be scared, but instead, I find myself just simply staring at him, wondering why he doesn’t scare me one bit.
“Why don’t I see other ghosts here?” I ask first, not moving as he reaches over almost like he wants to touch my cheek, but he can’t.
Ghosts can’t touch.
“Do you miss seeing them?” he questions me back. I take a second to actually think about it, because for the longest time, I hated my ability to see ghosts and thought it was always ruining my life. I couldn’t go on holidays because being in new places meant new ghosts. I couldn’t even go into the park near the woods in my town because three ghosts of children were always there and they scared me.
Everything about ghosts scared me, and now...I almost miss being something different, because my powers were the different part of my life. I felt like I had a destiny, some reason in the world for why I have these powers.
But now, in this magic world, I’m just normal.
“Yes...it always felt like seeing ghosts made me different, and now I’m just another angel in training in this academy,” I admit to him.
“Whatever you are, Kaitlyn Lightson, you are not just another angel,” Ren almost softly tells me before he slowly fades and leaves me alone on the bed. Whatever Ren is, he isn’t just another ghost.
And I think we both know that. Rubbing my eyes, I get out of bed and have a quick shower before blow-drying my hair. I get dressed in black skinny jeans, a purple tee that says, “I’m rubber and you’re glue,” and my Doc Martens before eating some of the breakfast off the tray. I knock on Ves’s door before going inside to see she is still fast asleep on the bed, snoring away. I decide to leave her to it and head out to meet Thallon in the greenhouse, even though I’m a little bit early. The academy is oddly silent as I walk through the halls, and I head outside this time, walking through the gardens until I get to the other side of the building. At the doors to the greenhouse, Thallon is waiting with a light angel woman with long black hair in a complicated braid. They both turn to look at me as I get closer, and the woman breaks into a big smile. She is super pretty with long eyelashes surrounding deep blue eyes, and she has a model-like body, unlike my own skinny ass. I wish I had curves like her.
“This is Kaitlyn Lightson, the girl I was telling you about,” Thallon introduces me. “Kaitlyn, this is Hazel Jackman, and she is an old student who is here visiting in her time off. I was telling Hazel about your incredible piano skills as she loves to play as well.”
“It is very nice to meet you! My brother is the only other person I know who can play the piano here right now. It seems like a lost art,” she cheerily says and looks over my shoulder. “Oh, here is my brother now.”
Without having to look behind me, I know Henry is there; his presence is like a wave washing over my body every time he is in the room. Henry stops next to me, his hand brushing mine for a brief second, and that’s all it takes to make me shiver. Hazel kisses Thallon’s cheek, quietly saying something as she says goodbye and goes to Henry.
“Let’s go and chat up, brother. I have a lot to tell you,” she says, and he smiles at her. Actually smiles, white teeth and all.
“How is your new husband? I don’t have to break his face any time soon, right?” Henry asks, and Hazel rolls her eyes.
“Always so dramatic, little brother. Times were easier when you only cared about Sonic the Hedgehog games and if I ate your chocolate yoghurt,” she says with a small giggle.
“I loved the old Sonic games, and of course Amy was my favourite,” I say, and they both turn to look at me. I see the similarities straight away when they are next to each other. Same nose, same cheekbones and smile.
“Why? All she did was follow Sonic around,” Henry asks with a frown. “At least be cool and admit you loved Tails.”
“Because she loved him no matter what. It’s quite romantic, and I always preferred their story over princesses’ fairy tales,” I say, and he smirks at me.
“It was lovely to meet you, Kaitlyn,” Hazel says, tugging her brother away. “Bye, Thallon!”
“Have fun gardening,” Henry says with a patronising smirk, still eyeing me curiously as he walks away with his sister.
“We will,” Thallon replies and smiles down at me. “I thought we could cut some of the roses as they need tending. You can even keep some for your room if you want. I can get you a vase from the kitchens.”
“I’d love that,” I reply as we head into the greenhouse. The familiar smell and comforting warmth fill us as we head through the empty pathways to a small shed at the side. Thallon gets out two sheers and two pairs of gloves, which I slide on as he gets out a basket for the roses to go in.
“Tell me about yourself, what you did before here,” Thallon asks as we get to the roses. “Only if you want to, that is.”
“Why not?” I answer as I cut one of the red roses. “I lived in the Lake District with Riley as my best friend, and my family were well off. Which, considering the world is messed up at the moment, it gave me a good life when others don’t get that.”
“You are talking about the destruction of New York, London and most of southern Europe so many years ago?” he questions. “I’ve heard of it, but it’s been a while since I’ve been on earth.”
“Yes. It made a lot of people travel to England in hopes of work promised in the cities. London might have been gone, but gangs run the ruins there and promised anyone a job. So soon enough, people overran the country, and jobs became harder to come by. Food banks became lifelines to so many, and the rich hid in the towns far away from the cities to protect their children. It’s exactly what my parents did, and yet they still lost me,” I say, feeling sadness tugging at my heart.
“At least you have good memories. If it helps, your parents won’t remember you. You don’t just die when you become an angel, your existence on earth is gone,” he gently tells me a bombshell. The rose drops from my hand, and he catches it, cutting his finger on a thorn.
“I’m so sorry,” I say, taking his hand in my mine and turning it over. I press my finger on the cut and look up to find Thallon staring at me.
“I’m sorry you didn’t know. They used to tell us that, but perhaps times have changed,” he sadly replies.
“Thank you for telling me the truth. I feel like no one does that with me anymore,” I admit.
He purses his lips, pulling his hand back and offering me the rose. “The truth can be painful, it seems.”
“So can thorns, but the rose’s beauty is worth the pain.”
“Kaitlyn, at least you know in your heart that your parents are happy and at pea
ce now. They would have been lost in grief otherwise,” he reminds me.
“I don’t think we should be the ones to make that choice for them. If it was my child, I would want to know,” I answer, and he nods in agreement. We both stay silent for a long pause before I smile at him.
“On a less depressing and heart-shattering note, what’s next after the roses?”
“Hmm, we can cut some uncurable bark off the trees in the forest or de-weed the tulips near the front doors,” he suggests. “New girl’s choice.”
“I’m going to go with the bark first,” I say, and I cut another rose off, well aware of Thallon’s eyes on me, staring at me like he can’t figure out exactly who I am.
And at this point, neither can I.
Chapter 15
“My legs hurt, my arms hurt, even my brain is hurting right now!” Vesnia groans, wiping away a line of sweat from her forehead. I do the same, sucking in a deep breath after the five-mile run around the academy the “lovely” gym teacher, Professor Martin, made us do. We all thought spear class was getting easier now we know a little how to fight with the spears without hurting ourselves, but the gym has stepped up its mark.
“Looking tired, darlin’,” Henry drawls from somewhere nearby, and I straighten my back, turning around just as he gets to me. “Can’t handle gym?”
“I can handle it just fine,” I protest, placing my hands on my hips as Professor Martin comes over, placing a hand on Henry’s shoulder.
“What can I do for you, Mr. Ravaric?”
“Professor Louton needs to see you. She asked me to watch your class for a moment seeing as I had finished my exam,” Henry explains like a good dark angel, smile and all.
“Very well. Do not cause trouble, young king,” Professor Martin taps Henry’s shoulder a few times before walking out of the gym. Henry pulls a flask out of his jacket and walks to the benches on the other side of the room, sitting down and taking a long sip. He then lights a joint of weed, right here in front of everyone and takes a long drag. Before I think about it too much, my feet walk me straight up to him, and I pluck the joint out of his hand. Dropping it on the floor, I watch his ember eyes as I crush the joint under my shoe.
“Rude, darlin’,” he mutters, leaning back on the bench behind him. I take a seat next to him, pulling my legs up to my chest and wrapping my arms around them.
“It’s no good for you and illegal where I come from,” I tell him.
“It’s not illegal where I buy it from, so that’s all that matters,” he replies. “Are you trying to save my soul, darlin’?”
“What do you think Professor Louton wanted to see Professor Martin about?” I curiously ask, ignoring his question.
“Fallen angels or at least one fallen angel they both went to the academy with,” he says.
“What’s a fallen angel?” I ask.
“Shit, they haven’t taught you this yet? You’ve been here two weeks now,” he mutters and rubs his eyes in clear annoyance. “Fallen angels are angels who willingly step into hell. An angel recently jumped into hell for a demon he fell in love with, and now everyone is mad.”
“Whoa,” I whisper.
“But the new queen of hell released all the spirits that the old king locked up in hell, and now there is a natural balance. For some reason, the angels are more scared than ever, I can sense it,” he tells me.
“Is that a dark angel power?” I ask.
“Sort of. We can all sense when someone is scared,” he explains. “That is an angel power.”
“Why did you choose to become a dark angel?” I ask.
“Because my soul lives in the dark, and if you’re honest with yourself, Kaitlyn, you will find your soul belongs in the dark with me.”
I don’t move as he gets up, ditching the class he promised to look after, without looking back once.
Keeping my head down, I head through the gardens, running my fingers over some red flowers I don’t know the name of. Sundays are my favourite day at the academy when the students all stay in their rooms or the dining hall, eating, the teachers are absent, and the world seems a little slower. Like it isn’t trying to knock me off it with every turn it takes. I don’t look up for a long time, having no clue where I’m walking until I come to a gate. I look up and see Thallon leaning against his cabin, his arms crossed over his light blue shirt and a friendly smile that’s always there for me. He has some logs in his arms, and I’m guessing he came out to get them to restock his fire.
“Thallon what is a fallen angel exactly, and why is it bad to become one?” I ask. I don’t know why I think he will tell me, but I do.
His eyes widen for a brief moment before he sighs and pushes the front door of his home open. “You best come inside for that conversation, sweetheart.”
He holds the door open for me as I step into his cabin, which smells of fresh laundry and the burning wood from the open fireplace tucked into the corner of the large room. Unlike Henry’s house, this place has no rooms and is completely open plan other than a bathroom I can’t see. One side of the room has a small kitchen with dark wood counters, a glass table for two, and a bookcase jammed with random books. In the middle of the room is a giant four-poster bed, the posts of which are hand-carved into horses that are jumping into the air. They match the gold sheets and big white faux fur blanket hanging over the bed. The fireplace has a TV hanging on the wall above it, and on either side is a beautiful painting of horses running in a field. There is a cosy leather sofa and coffee table facing the fireplace, with one glass of what looks like whiskey on a coaster on top.
“My mum always said it was terrible to ruin a table with the bottom of a glass. We had coasters everywhere around the house because my dad would constantly buy them for her when he had to travel,” I say rather randomly as Thallon closes the door.
“Your parents sound very in love,” he replies. “Would you like a drink?”
“Yes, they are, and I’d love a cup of tea,” I say, walking into his space, noticing the piles of books on his bedside tables and a small unfinished wooden horse sculpture, and a knife next to it with some wood carvings. “Milk and one sugar please,” I say to his unasked question as I choose to sit on his sofa, crossing my legs. The room is oddly silent as he makes the tea; the only sounds are the kettle boiling and the spoon hitting the cup as he mixes the tea.
“Thank you,” I say, accepting the red cup, and Thallon sits down next to me, picking up his drink. I don’t dare sip the tea until it’s cooled down, but Thallon downs his whiskey in one go before putting the empty glass back down.
“I presume you know fallen angels are angels that went into hell and lost their wings, becoming the fallen,” he asks, and I nod. I didn’t know they lost their wings though. “The only angel known to make this choice was Lucifer, the previous king of hell. But recently an angel I was friends with made a choice to go into hell after his mate.”
“Why would he do that?” I ask. “Losing his wings for his mate...it sounds terrible.”
“At the academy, they will teach you that not only is magic the most powerful thing in this world, but so is love. I don’t know why Morgan did what he did, but I know he did it for love,” he answers me. “But why do you ask about fallen angels now?”
“I heard the teachers are worried,” I admit, and he frowns.
“It’s not the fallen angel that has them worried, but what the balance of the souls has done to another race,” he explains, though I can tell he is holding back some truth here. “Not every race in the world gets along, and any change makes ripples across the world that we all feel.”
“Like a fallen angel?”
“Yes,” he replies with a sad smile. We both sit in silence as I sip my hot tea, and I’m happy to report Thallon can make a damn good cup of tea.
“Do you read a lot then?” I enquire, nodding my head at the piles of books.
“Yes, but all my books are in Latin, and they are my way of finding answers about who I am and why I’m
not clearly light or dark,” he tells me. “So far, there isn’t an answer other than someone pushing me into a choice.”
“That would be horrible. I might be new to this, but I understand that everyone should have a choice,” I say.
“And that’s another reason I like you, Kaitlyn Lightson. You never judge me when everyone else does,” he says with a grin.
I smile at him, a real smile that makes me feel safe. “You might not like me in a few hours when I raid your fridge and steal your TV to watch anything. You have no clue how much I miss Netflix and my movies.”
“My home is yours,” he waves a hand. “But touch my peanut butter cups, and we might have a problem.”
“I promise not to touch them,” I say around a giggle, and he laughs with me. Even when we just talk of war and nothing but destruction, he still is starting to feel like home.
Chapter 16
“When angels first arrived on earth to see humans, tell me what the first five things they saw were?” Master Gabriel asks, and I try to swallow a yawn as Miltona, the class teacher’s pet, puts her hand up.
“They saw pain, lust, hate, joy and love,” she sweetly answers.
Nodding, he leans against the desk, tapping a pen on his leg. “Correct, but what was the very thing they were missing?”
“I am unsure, sir,” she answers, sounding panicked.
“They were missing guidance, and that is exactly what we became for them,” he smoothly answers.
“Why was it our choice to guide them?” I ask. “Surely free will is what any god wants for his child, the humans, right?”
“Who says the god who gave you a second chance at life wants humans to have free will?” he asks.
“Because they are free, and we are not,” I point out.
“Very smart, Miss Lightson. Freedom has to be earnt in our angel lives, and guidance is how we slowly pay back,” he replies. I tightly smile at his bullshit answer just as Ren appears on my desk. Literally sitting on my desk, his arms crossed and a playboy grin on his lips.