by Maya Nicole
"My dad's favorite holiday was... is July Fourth. He liked to light shit on fire," Danica said softly. She looked down at the table and then swiped at her eyes.
My breath caught in my throat. She hurt because of me. Because I was an idiot that thought trying to turn ocean water into wine was a good way to pass the time.
I stood and headed in the direction of the bathrooms. I slammed open the door and braced my hands on the counter. My heart was racing. I shut my eyes and tried to catch my breath. It felt like I had just sprinted.
The door opened behind me, and I looked in the mirror, seeing Asher slip in. He flipped the lock on the door and stepped towards me.
I straightened and turned to face him. "I don't want to talk about it."
"From the looks of it, you do need to talk about it." He leaned against the counter. "What's eating at you, Oliver?"
I put my hands in my hair, clenching the strands in my fists. "This is my fault."
He grunted and stepped towards me, grabbing my arms and pulling them until my hands were in his. "This isn't your fault."
"But I-" He shut me up with his mouth. I moaned into it before shoving him away. "Not everything can be fixed with sex."
"There's something wrong with that cup, Olly. Danica said it practically sang to her when she took it. Stop blaming yourself." Asher leaned back against the counter.
I knew all of that already, but it didn't change the fact that it had happened. I dropped it. It was safe in Heaven, and now it was with a psychotic woman who was using it for who knows what.
I doubted she was drinking wine with it.
"I don't like seeing you like this. I'm supposed to be the deeply disturbed one, not you." Asher's face softened. He reached out a hand towards me. I took it and laced our fingers together. "Now, let's go eat. You can drown your woes in a greasy burger and a drink. I'll even throw in a wartime story."
Asher didn't talk about the war often, but when he did, it was either a hilarious anecdote or a gut-wrenching tale. I followed him back to the table where our burgers and fries were already waiting for us. My stomach growled in anticipation.
I had missed out on almost an entire year of delicious food because I didn't have the right people in my corner. Now I did, and I trusted them. So whenever they put food in front of me, I ate it. My days of cantaloupe and brown rice were over. I still couldn't resist cookies.
"This food is much better than what I got for my twenty-third birthday in 1944." Asher took the last bite of his burger and then wiped his mouth on his napkin. We all looked at him in interest. "We were on the move between towns and were eating a diet of field rations. When I came back from being on patrol, Toby here had concocted a culinary masterpiece for me. He and the guys took their biscuits from their C-Rats and ground them up, added sugar, and made a makeshift cake. They put melted lime-flavored hard candies as the frosting. Stuck a cigarette in the top and sang Happy Birthday to me."
"That sounds like something I'd do. How'd it taste?" Tobias smiled at the memory he couldn't remember himself.
Asher laughed. "Like shit. I ate it though, couldn't waste precious calories." He rubbed the side of his face. "I wish I could say the rest of the day was as great as that moment, but we at least had a little fun."
"I wish I could remember some of those things," Tobias said, a wistful look passing over his eyes.
"No, you don't. For every good memory, there are ten times as many bad memories. Several members of our platoon were sniped later that day on patrol."
The table fell silent for a moment before a waitress brought out a plate with vanilla ice cream smooshed between two chocolate chip cookies.
"We ordered it for you while you were gone." Danica rubbed her hands together. "Try it."
I had tried my fair share of ice cream but never sandwiched between my favorite food. I picked it up and took a bite. If food could cause an orgasm, I would have had one.
I looked around the table at Danica, Asher, Tobias, and Reve. They were my family now, and I wouldn't trade them for anything in the world.
Chapter Four
Danica
I was not ready for classes to start. Summer had seemed to drag on forever, but as soon as the calendar rolled over to August, I didn't want it to end.
The summer brought no new news on the whereabouts of my dad. None of the captured demons knew where he was. I assumed he had to be with Lilith in Inferna, because how else were demons getting through the barrier?
I pulled my uniform out of my closet and put it on. I was going to brave the cafeteria for the sheer fact that I really had a craving for bacon.
I grabbed my bag and walked into the hall. Olly was leaning against the wall waiting for me. He grinned when he saw me. His eyes traveled down to my legs and then back up, stopping briefly on my chest before settling on my lips.
I kissed him and took his hand. Olly would be in all of my classes this semester except Weaponry since he was already skilled in that area.
It wasn't fair that he was just born one day and could wield a sword like a knight and throw daggers like a ninja. I should have been able to do at least half of those things since I was half-angel.
Things didn't quite work that way.
We made our way to the cafeteria and joined Cora and Ethan at our usual table. My eyes couldn't help but fall on the table in the corner. Several of the Divine 7 had finished the academy and moved on. It was unfortunate that Betty and Abby were still there. They saw me looking and sneered.
"I'm so excited for this year!" Cora could hardly contain her happiness. She and Ethan were doing well and had spent the summer in South America.
As much as I was opposed to being a guardian angel myself, a pang of jealousy ran through me anytime they mentioned the missions they had been on. My only mission for the summer was staying on campus. I hadn't even gotten to visit Ava. It wasn’t like my best friend could come to the academy and visit me. Plus she seemed to always be working.
"I'm only excited because we have training in the evenings." Ethan slung his arm over the back of Cora's chair. "I heard there's a demon teaching us how to kill other demons."
Both Cora and Ethan looked at me. I munched on a piece of bacon. I knew what their looks were for. I was the obvious connection to the demon.
"He's a dream demon. He's decent." Olly moved his eggs around on his plate before scooping some onto his fork. He scrunched up his nose before taking a bite. "These don't taste as good as yours."
"That's because I put love in mine." I sat up a little straighter, hearing that Olly thought my cooking was better than the cooks in the back. Well, at least my eggs were.
"So this demon, how do you two know him?" Ethan asked.
"Why does everyone assume I know him because he's a demon?" I rolled my eyes.
As if on cue, Abby and her posse walked past the table, overhearing me. She stopped, several of them almost bumping into her.
"Eve, you are the spawn of Satan. Of course you'd know him. Is he one of your boyfriends now too?" A few people at the table next to us sniggered.
"Go away, Abby." Olly scooped a spoonful of oatmeal and blew on it. "No one wants to hear your nasally voice. It's ruining my appetite."
She made a noise in her throat and narrowed her eyes at him. "I see you’re still slumming it with the rejects."
Olly finally looked at her and smiled. "I think you’ve forgotten that you were the reject back in the first semester. If I recall, you tried to cop a feel."
Her face turned red, and she opened and closed her mouth. She let out a huff and stomped off. In her previous life, she must have been a spoiled brat who threw tantrums to get what she wanted. How she became an angel was beyond my comprehension.
"Did she really?" I laughed, piling my silverware and napkin on my empty plate.
"More than once." He shrugged as Ethan gave him a fist bump. "I think she figured since the other guys let her have her way with them, that I'd be the same."
After we
finished eating, we walked together to our first class: Crisis Intervention. Cora and Ethan both tested as intellectual guardian angels, but all students were required to take it.
Just like all second and third-year students were required to attend training in the evenings. You know, in case all hell broke loose.
After Crisis Intervention, which had my name written all over it, I had Weaponry without any moral support. At least it didn't involve flying.
What it did involve was Coach Ferguson and Betty. Betty didn't strike me as the type to be a warrior, but I didn't feel like a warrior myself, so I couldn't really judge.
"It's nice to see a good crop of angels for once," the coach said once class started. He paused when he saw me and raised his eyebrows. "Besides training with common weapons you might use out in the field, this evening, you will strengthen your fighting skills and swordsmanship."
Most of class time was spent with Coach Ferguson showing us different weapons: knives, clubs, tasers, handguns. I felt I was on even ground with the rest of the class for once since no one had fired a gun or wielded a taser before. At least that's what everyone said.
Betty seemed to know an awful lot about weapons.
After dinner, we were required to go to the football field for extra training. There were three rotations lasting thirty minutes each. Asher was teaching hand to hand combat with Tobias as his assistant. When Asher had shared the news, Tobias had looked furious. He was still suspended, but Michael was running the show after school hours.
Olly was with Coach Ferguson teaching swordsmanship. Despite his short time using a sword, Olly was as skilled as Michael. It must have been an archangel thing.
Then there was Reve. Reve had been all the buzz during the day, especially when word got around that he would be training us on how to kill specific demons.
I started in the group training with Asher and Tobias. Tobias was off to the side, reading a book. He wasn't taking the whole situation in his stride. Can't say I blamed him.
"Combat is no joke. When you're out there in the trenches, anything can fucking happen. You can get a limb blown off. Lose your sight. Lose your hearing. Fucking die." Asher paced back and forth in front of us and stopped and looked right at me when he mentioned dying.
Was his speech meant to instill confidence in us? It scared the crap out of me.
"Where did they find this nut job? This isn't Vietnam," a guy behind me mumbled to another student. A few laughs broke the tension in the group.
Asher glared over my shoulder. "You're right. This isn't fucking Vietnam or World War II. This is worse. Heaven versus hell. Good versus evil. When you are staring frozen at a mother fucking Widow demon that just sent hundreds of spiders to eat your ass, are you going to be more concerned about how to kill her and her spiders or where the fuck they found this quack job?"
I cringed as he referred to himself in the third person. He wasn't helping his case any. I knew he wasn't insane but had I never met him before, I'd probably have some serious questions about him.
"This semester, we're going to push you hard because the demons are only increasing in number. We will need all hands on deck when the time comes." Tobias spoke without looking up from his book, annoyance dripping from his voice.
"The time comes for what?" Someone in the back spoke loudly, their voice shaking slightly.
"War. The apocalypse. We don't fucking know yet, but when it does happen, we'll be prepared." Asher blew his whistle for us to line up.
After running through some drills, he paired us up to practice what he called "ram and run." He paired me with Cora.
"Listen up! When I blow my whistle, partner A is going to run straight at partner B. Hit them just like we practiced, right in the midsection. Then sprint to the other set of cones."
There were lots of grumbles as we lined up on the line. I was more nervous about my lack of healing than anything else. The angels could knock each other out with no problem. I had a lot more to risk.
"Drop and give me ten burpees for that!" Fuck, he was a hardass. "You too, Danica!"
I glared at him. "I didn't complain!" I crossed my arms, and a few others joined my resistance.
"Make it twenty!" My jaw dropped. I wanted to punch him in the face. Instead, I dropped to the ground to start the burpees.
The thirty minutes seemed more like two hours. We rotated next to Olly, who was holding a pool noodle. I had only glanced in the direction of his station once when I heard the group before us laughing
I wiped the sweat from my forehead with the hem of my tank top. I had been worried about taking hits, but all along, I should have been concerned about Asher going drill sergeant on us. Tobias had just sat by, glancing up from his book occasionally, his expression unreadable
Coach Ferguson stood on a chair and blew his whistle to quiet us down. "We don't typically teach swordsmanship here at the academy since it is not common to carry a sword around on duty. A sword is the best way to incapacitate a demon long enough to take them out. Oliver will be doing most of the training with you since he is highly skilled."
I wondered how they knew a sword was best. Had demons come through before? That had to be the case.
He jumped down, and Olly took his place. "Thanks, Coach. Tonight we're going to start with our reactions to stimuli. Wielding a sword requires confidence and the ability to hold your ground, even when something is trying to take you out." He waved a pool noodle that had been cut in half in front of us. "With the same partner you just had in the last rotation, you'll act like this is a sword."
"When do we get to use a real sword?" someone in the middle shouted.
"When I feel no one is going to take someone's head off. The objective tonight is to stop your partner from hitting you with the pool noodle and to not flinch."
"This is stupid," Betty said. A few other students agreed. Betty was worse than the other six Divine combined.
"Feel free to go back to the last station since you find this activity stupid." The comment didn't even faze Olly.
After grabbing our pool noodles, Cora and I faced off.
"On guard!" I jabbed the noodle at her, and she laughed.
"This isn't fencing, Danica." She blocked me.
By the end of the half-hour, my arms were burning, My face hurt from smiling and laughing so much. Using a light object only made me realize that a real sword was going to be impossible to swing around.
Our last rotation was with Reve in a room on the side of the gym. Chairs were set up, and a projector displayed a photograph of a normal-looking man. I was pretty sure it wasn't a man. We were learning how to kill demons.
I sat in the front row with Cora and Ethan. I could feel the tension in the room as the others sat down, leaving the front row empty besides the three of us. A few teachers stood off to the sides, swords on their hips.
"Do you think they really think he's going to attack, or is it just to placate everyone?" Ethan leaned forward to ask me.
"If they are scared of a dream demon, I don't know how they expect them to fight much more frightening demons. Reve is a big teddy bear. Most of the teachers have at least been civil towards Reve. He's pretty charismatic."
Reve cleared his throat. "Let's start out with getting all of your questions out of the way. We have a lot of ground to cover, and I won't have time to answer your questions later."
Almost every hand went up except mine, Cora's, and Ethan's. Before he called on anyone, he gave a brief introduction, which eliminated about half of the hands.
"Why are you helping us?"
Reve looked at me, then at the student asking the question. "Earth has become my home. I don't think humans deserve to be terrorized by crazed demons that get through the barrier."
"Don't you terrorize humans?"
"I had a job to do here. Several of the souls I visited made it to Heaven instead of hell. The power of a well-composed nightmare is underrated."
The questioning went on for a solid fifteen minutes.
Not once did Reve lose his cool or waver in his confidence. Once all questions were answered, he went on to show drawings of demons and discussed how to identify and kill them. He had drawn the pictures himself.
The time flew by, and before I knew it, the rotation was over.
"I'll see you guys tomorrow," I said, waving goodbye to Cora and Ethan.
I hung back as the room emptied. Reve was packing up his laptop.
"I think they were impressed." I tilted back in my chair and nearly fell backward. Reve laughed.
I felt my face flush and stood instead. I picked up a few water bottles left on the floor and put them in the recycling bin.
"I think they were all in shock that I didn't kill them." He slung his bag over his shoulder and led me out of the room.
It was dark outside, but the lights from the football field lit the area.
"We have a quick staff debriefing. Are you okay to walk back alone?"
"It's an angel academy, Reve." He kissed my cheek and headed off towards Ariel Hall.
I walked along the path towards the staff building. I was just about past the second student dorm building when I heard loud laughter coming from a courtyard. I moved closer to the building, so I'd be out of sight.
"Can you believe they have those idiots training us to fight demons?" One of the male Divine 7 was speaking. I couldn't remember his name, but he was a third-year, like most of them.
"Asher is fucking hot. I'd hit that. I bet he likes it rough." A girl spoke, one of the new ones.
"Gross, girl. You know that they are all in some kind of freakish relationship with devil girl, right?"
"What a slut," one of the guys said. "She's like a sex doll."
A lump formed in my throat, and I put my hand over my mouth to silence my shocked gasp. I'd talked plenty of shit about people before, but never so loudly and in such an open area.
"I think I'm going to try to hit that. Do you think she charges?"
Laughter followed.
I couldn't stop the tears from sliding down my cheeks. I should have stepped around the corner and given them a piece of my mind, but a group of assholes versus one person wasn't good odds.