The Ballad of an Angel

Chapter Fourteen

April 22, 2017 - Home Again, Home Again

The day came quick and as soon as possible we hit the road. We left so early that we didn't even get to say goodbye. I guess Zack was set on getting home.

I sat in the same spot I did as before and stared out the window. How sad it was to say goodbye to such a lovely place. I felt at home here, not in Denver.

"Crap," Zack muttered.
I looked over at him and he was grasping the steering wheel like it was to run away. There was early morning traffic. You'd think it wouldn't be that bad, since it was a Saturday, but this is LA, anything is possible.

My book was screaming at me to read it, and I ignored its desperate calls. All I wanted to do was mourn us leaving.

Hours passed and I began to doze off. I mean, I was running on a few hours of sleep, and the only interesting thing going on was Zack's calmed expression after the traffic subsided. I decided to listen in on some music. It had been a while since I actually did, and every book in my bag was read more than once.

As it blared in my ears, I closed my eyes. I eventually dozed off to feel Zack shaking me awake. What could It be?

He was smiling and he pointed out a view of the desert. He claimed he saw a few angels flying, but I couldn't care more. Clara was out like a light as this conversation took place. I sat there groggily, resting my head on my hand. I just watched the emptiness which was the desert and eventually fell back asleep.

I woke up again to realize it was my turn to drive. We stopped somewhere in between California and Nevada, right outside of Las Vegas. I was stoked to drive through it because of the endless amounts of traffic. That's the thing with extremely populated cities. It was the middle of the day and I had about four to five hours of sleep, plus a long nap. I was just focusing on the road and ignoring the oohs and ahhs of my siblings.

Clara had offered to drive as I was getting weary from the endless amounts of driving. She took the wheel about a half hour later. Zack sat next to her as I laid in the back. The last thing I remember before dozing off was the beautiful sunset that grew in the horizon.

[A sky of blue was shining on the green grass. Clara, Zack, Sabrina, Dad, and Mom were all on it. Moms face was blurred out, but her everything else was stunning. A picnic was held while Sabrina held onto my arm. Zack and Clara laughed at the fish who flopped onto the shore, once realizing their inevitable death. The sun beamed down on the blue river adjacent to the blanket we sat on. Was I in a relationship with Sabrina? Or was it just a funky dream? I ate many little things that were packed in the wicker basket that held our food. The place was swarmed with flies, however, which was expected in the forests species density. I glanced at Clara who looked so sad and lonely. I'll guess that's how she feels a lot of the time.
"Ollie!" I heard a voice. Was it beyond the skies? Or was I imagining things like I always do?
"Oliver!!"  ]

I sat up in fright. Clara was shaking me awake. I rubbed my eyes and saw her concerned face, almost filled with her warm tears. She hugged me as if I had died and came back. The sleep Brian hit me as I sat in silence.
"You were heavily asleep, dude," Zack said. Clara looked at him and then back at me all calm.
"We thought you were dead for a split second!" Clara exclaimed, soon laughing at her paranoia.
"You," Zack added, giving closure to the situation.

I put my shoes on my feet and got out of the car. I fell over and hit my head on the ground. Frantically, Clara and Zack picked me up and kept it that way for a minute to catch my balance. I rubbed my eyes once more.

From the looks of it, we had stopped at a rest stop in St. George, Utah. It was pitch black outside and the stars shined brightly. I spend about a while staring at the shiny sky before being rudely interrupted by my identical brother. He motioned for me to head towards the bathrooms.

The gas station was this run down, ghetto, poor place. It smelled really rancid and the lady working there was about seven months pregnant smoking a cigarette. I guess I looked at her funny and she then stared at me with the meanest look on a persons face. I ran out of there leaving my sister to dry, she followed me asking what was wrong.

"She just.. seemed like a not-so-good person, Clara. I think we should get out of here. I'll drive," I announced, heading into the drivers seat. I had decided I was going to drive through the night. We needed to return home before classes started on Monday. Many thoughts crossed my mind as my hands gripped the firm steering wheel. I did nothing but glare at the empty road ahead of me and it really got boring. Clara kept talking to me as Zack slept in the back seat. She went on and on about missing her friends and prom coming up. I wasn't even sure I was going.

It was about 5am or so when we stopped again. My eyes were burning like when you have a cold. The entire night I listened to Clara talk and a few podcasts. I needed to sleep, but i just kept driving after the stop was finished.

About noon or so is when we arrived home. I couldn't describe how happy I was to sleep in my own bed with my foster family. They've been so great since the day we arrived. Alice was ecstatic as the door of her cozy home swung open. Three extremely tired teenagers. She hugged us for a while, which actually felt like an hour. She had lunch made and offered for us to eat. We hadn't eaten lunch yet so why not?

I went upstairs and sat on the creaky bed. Oh how amazing it felt. I laid down and almost fell asleep, but Zack dropped his bag down so hard it felt like he was trying to wake me up. I looked at him as if I was a bear coming out of hibernation.

I read for a while fighting my brain. I wanted to sleep then but we had school soon and had to fix that sleep schedule. Zack had pointed out the bags under my eyes, and I told him he had some as well. He laughed and took his daily shower. I went in soon after him and enjoyed that 'first day back home shower.' I decided to pull out my wings and check on them. They were completely normal and stood behind my tall figure. It was really cool that I had this ability that nobody else had.

I fell asleep so quick, which felt like minutes. I sighed as my brain fell into a deep slumber.

{There I was. Standing in a dark void, I saw a demon circling me. She had a knife held in her dominant hand. She had looked so menacing, like they were going to hurt me. I was shirtless, wings spread wide at my sides. She then cut them off. I laid back and bled out, screaming in agony. This is how you kill an Angel.}

I woke up and breathed hard. My eyes were like saucers. Tears had formed in my eyes from complete terror. How could a little nightmare do this to a person. I checked if my wings were okay, in which they were, and fell back asleep holding my baby blanket.