Ariel

Chapter One

“Angel?”

I turned to see my best friend Alice making her way towards me through a crowd of kids standing in the halls of my high school. Her long red hair hung all the way down to the small of her back, and her formfitting dress barely passed the decency code of the school. “Are you going to the party tonight?” Alice fell into step with me.

I made my way towards my locker. Summer break was right around the corner, and everyone was getting ready by throwing a party every night until the last day of school. Stopping at my locker, Alice waited impatiently for my reply. She didn’t need me to accompany her to any parties, but she tried to make me feel as if my lack of a social life had some how hindered hers. She had a four-point-plan to change our standings for our senior year and I had no choice but to get on board.

“Well, are you?” She ran her hand through her hair as a jock walked by. The guy almost stumbled over his feet, causing a slight smile to spread across her face.

“I got a ton of homework. I might be too busy this weekend, Alice.” I lied as I opened my locker. She didn’t know I’d never studied a day in my life, didn’t have to, one of the few cool things about being me. My photographic memory was better than anyone alive, or dead. At the beginning of each school year I would take my books home and memorize all of them, and then spend the rest of the year doing whatever I wanted, which included avoiding parties.

Trying to give the impression of having a lot of studying, I took a few books out of my locker and placed them in my book bag, even though my plans for the weekend had to do with me, some Rocky Road ice cream and a Being Human marathon on BBC America.

Alice frowned at me. Her green eyes blazed with so much annoyance they could have burned through my head. “You need to get with the program, Angel. Next year we’re going to be the hottest girls at this school. We can rule if we play our cards right.”

My eyes rolled as I glanced at myself in the little mirror in my looker. Alice has always said I looked like Vanessa Hudgens. I’ve always disagreed. Yes I have long dark hair and dark brown eyes and look mixed instead of one hundred percent Hispanic—even though both my parents were born in Mexico City—but she’s between 5’1 and 5’3 at the most, while I’m 5’5 with a slim frame. Alice would always roll her eyes when I made that argument.

I closed my locker and placed my book bag around my back. “What if I don’t want to rule the school Ali? What if I just want to make it out of here with no drama?”

She faked a dramatic yawn. “Boring! Come on Angel, aren’t you tired of being a nobody?”

If Alice only knew how much I wanted to be a nobody, instead of the damaged girl seeing Guardian Angels and lost souls I was.

We made our way to gym. It was our last class of the day, which we routinely spent sitting at the top of the bleachers looking down at the kids playing basketball or standing around talking. Occasionally I would stare at the boys challenging each other in who could do the most pull ups or run around the gym the longest. My body would tense, knowing I could easily beat all of them while fighting pneumonia, except I don’t get sick, another perk that came with whatever I am.
Alice sat beside me going on and on about stepping into the spotlight next year. I half listened to her, while trying not to think about what she wanted. To be the center of attention again, to be elite, to be looked upon as something special, I did that for a very long time, had no desire to do it again.

The class went by fast. We quickly left the gym with the other kids excited about the last weekend before the last week of school. Alice followed behind me as I made my way towards the school exit trying to avoid familiar faces passing me in the halls, and I don’t mean other kids at Eastover High. The lost souls are just that, lost souls. I didn’t know any of them. But the angels, I remembered them from a time I’m supposed to have forgotten. A time I tried to forget.

Oddly, there wasn’t as many walking the halls as usual, but that wasn’t my concern anymore. Making sure they didn’t know I saw them had been my number one priority since the day I left my previous life, and found myself floating in my human mother’s womb. Another memory I wished I could get rid of.

We walked out of the school to the parking lot. My blue Mazda Protegé sat in its usual spot as I avoided a soul walking side by side with a Guardian Angel. The Guardian was telling the soul how far to walk behind a Charge and what signs to look for to spot danger. If I hadn’t known any better, I could have sworn the angel was training the soul how to be a Guardian. But that would be ridiculous, since a lost soul didn’t have the abilities of an angel.

I opened my car and slid into the driver’s seat. Alice sat in the passenger seat. She slumped down, not wanting to be seen in the thirteen year old car. Part three of her four-point plan—get better wheels.

Alice continued to bother me about the stupid party as I drove her home. I finally agreed to join her before she exited my car with a triumphant expression on her face. She hurriedly walked to her front door, not giving me a chance to back out of her party plans, which meant I would have to TiVo the Being Human marathon, and endure a night of spotlight dodging.

Only a few Guardian Angels roamed the streets as I made my way home, but a heck of a lot of lost souls were wandering around. When I stopped at a light, I could even hear angels talking to lost souls, something that never happened during my day. Even though I never really dealt with the human spirits.

I got inside my house in time for dinner. My mom had ordered another pizza for me and my younger brother, Antonio. I grabbed a couple slices, a soda and some chips before I made my way into my room without saying anything to my mom and Antonio. They watched TV and stuffed their faces with meat lovers’ pizza and didn’t acknowledge me. My father slept on the recliner next to them still wearing his cop uniform. The only times I saw my dad were the times I caught him sleeping in front of the TV. I never complained. He worked odd shifts to provide for us. I wished I could spend more time with him, but I respected the sacrifices he made for us. I didn’t know if Antonio felt the same. From time to time he would stare at dad as he slept through whatever show Antonio and mom watched.

As soon as I opened my bedroom’s door, my heart began to pound in my chest. My palms felt sweaty from fear for the first time in seventeen years. Pain. Anger. Guilt. Despair. They all worked their way through my body as I stood frozen in place staring at the intruders in my room. Standing in front of me were not only angels, but Archangels. And not only Archangels, but two of the most legendary Archangels to ever live.

“Hello Ariel. I am pleased to see you again.” Gabriel said as he stood dressed in a long red robe that came down to his feet.

Next to Gabriel stood the greatest Archangel of them all, Michael. He stared at me with curiosity and his arms folded in front of him, while wearing the same long robe as Gabriel. Next to Michael stood my betrayer—Zadkiel.