Children of the Archangels

CHAPTER 4: A SHORTCUT OFF A CLIFF

Before long, Luke was staring at a shirtless Sirius in the middle of a snowy mountain. Luke really appreciated what Sirius must've done for him, because as far as he knew, he didn't have the power to instantly heal himself. Sirius had saved his life.

But he wasn't going to thank Sirius like that. He was thinking maybe he could buy him a couple of drinks or something. Do they allow alcohol at SGA? Where would I buy it at anyway? Do they have grocery stores up in the mountains?

But when Sirius threw the sweater over Luke to keep him warm, Luke felt both relieved and a bit awkward too. This is the type of thing he would like to do with Nellie.

But Sirius just had a smile that invited you to let your guard down. "This will keep you warm..."

He left the sentence open for Luke to fill in with his name, "Luke." He reached out his hand and Sirius grasped it with one hand and cupped it over with the other like he had done to heal Tejero.

"Luke, Evangelist, and patron saint of doctor, artists, and students. Feast Day October 18th."

Luke guessed Sirius must've been like one of those super religious kids who used to sometimes annoy him at his old school in D.C. But then again, he didn't seem like the overly zealous type, just knowledgeable. "Yeah, it's my birthday in fact."

Sirius pointed at his temple. "Smart parents."

Oof, Luke thought. If only I knew them.

"Come," Sirius got on the snowmobile. "You can ride with me to SGA."

"Thanks," Luke shivered a bit. For a guy who can generate a flame that could burn someone for all eternity, he was freezing his chaps off.

Kevin mumbled something beneath his breath, and Luke caught him staring at Sirius's shirtless body intently. Luke wasn't sure if the daggers Kevin's eyes shot in his direction were meant for Sirius's foolish macho act of removing his shirt off in freezing temperatures, or for Luke accepting the invitation to ride with him.

"You can ride with me," Victor offered Kevin. His face was still hidden behind his ski-mask.

"I'd rather walk up the mountain with no legs," Kevin said. All the while he was eyeing Sirius who grabbed Luke's hands and wrapped it around his cheese grater abs that rested below his drum set chests.

"It's safer if you hold on to me," Sirius said with a voice that sounded as smooth as melted butter.

Luke had two dads who adopted him when he was little so he wasn't clueless when it came to the gay scene. Luke swore he was straighter than finished steel.

So why did he find it hard to keep himself from wanting to rest his head on Sirius's shoulders? It must've been the weariness of hiking the mountain and summoning his ability.

"Suit yourself dumbass," Victor said to Kevin. "It's going to be a long hike for you then."

"Kevin," Luke said just to take his mind off his inner dilemma. "If you know these guys, and they're from SGA, then why don't you just let them give us a ride?"

Kevin sighed and Luke witnessed something rarer than a total solar eclipse visible at every inch of the globe.

Kevin swallowing his pride.

He boarded the snowmobile behind Victor as hesitantly as if it was a piss-stained chair. The engines revved up, and they began to climb the mountainside. But Kevin kept glancing from Luke and Sirius to the cliffside, as if he was contemplating hurling himself at either one. He yawned at the icebreakers between Sirius and Luke as if they were successive Easter Vigil masses.

Where are you from?

Luke: DC.

Sirius: Las Vegas.

What's your favorite movie?

Luke: Forrest Gump.

Sirius: The Shawshank Redemption.

How do you like your eggs?

Luke: Sunny Side Up.

Sirius: Scrambled.

Kill me was the expression Luke read on Kevin's face.

But after the icebreakers, they started getting to more pertinent information, like who Sirius was adopted by.

"Undetermined," Sirius answered without flinching in the cold. Did this guy have a built-in oven? "Everyone asks. Some say I'm adopted by Raphael, others by Gabriel, and some say by Michael since I can fight and heal well."

"Those are like three of the core four archangels," Luke said.

"Yeah, but I don't think I belong to any of them. It's funny how this whole thing works. Angels supposedly can't have children, so they adopt special humans and imbue them with talents."

"That's news to me," Luke said. "I never really understood my connection to Uriel."

Sirius chuckled innocently as if Luke was a five-year-old who promised to eradicate cancer. "Wow, Uriel has never adopted anyone before."

Luke shied back. "Yeah I guess so."

Sirius's face turned serious. "But if you really are adopted by Uriel, then I can't wait to see what you can do."

I can fall asleep in the middle of battle, Luke thought. Excellent skill if I want to surrender or die.

"We're here," Tejero spoke for what felt like the first time in his own scrappy voice. The group rounded a curve in the mountain fast.

And then the ground just ended, and they were in the air.

Luke thought he saw his life flash before his eyes. It was so quick. One minute there was snow, and the next they looked like they were falling. Luke was about to piss himself. He was clutching onto Sirius for dear life, burying his head in his shoulders, and yelling. Eventually he was smart enough to realize that the snowmobile was still trudging through thin snow and that also he wasn't dead.

The first noticeable change was in the terrain. The heavy snowfall had diminished and the mounds of snow around them had melted to gray rocks coated in a dusting of snow. The snowmobiles switched from blades to wheels and bypassed a sign etched in stone that read: "Saint George's Academy for Nephilims."

Beneath the sign was the logo of SGA: a circle with a red cross striking down the middle. The initials SGA ran down the vertical part of the cross. It was the classic symbol of St. George, the patron saint of soldiers. You may ask why would a school for those of angelic heritage be named after a saint?

Well Lucifer thought similarly.

Yeah, that guy who now runs Hell, he thought humans were like roaches and weren't even worthy to spit on. But when a human dies and becomes a saint, it's traditional for the angels to serve the saints. The tradition even shows itself in the motto of the school, which ran across the horizontal part of the cross: "Angels Today. Soldiers Tomorrow. Saints Forever."

They arrived at a massive steel gate with windows and hatches dotted across the canvass of gray. In the center was the crest of SGA without the initials or motto. Attached to both sides of the gate were two tall watch towers that were built into the mountainside. Patrolling the tops were four watchmen on both towers, each facing a cardinal direction.

"Identification please," a robotic voice droned from the surround-sound speakers built into the gate.

Victor was about to identify himself until Kevin cut him off because seniority matters. "Kevin Hernandez escorting a new recruit with assistance from SGA personnel."

The gates didn't buzz to let you know they were opening up. They just dragged eerily silent across the snow and opened itself up to a massive campus.

"Welcome to SGA," Sirius said to Luke. "Now let's get you settled."