Angel

Chapter 1

I wake up. The canopy of my four-poster bed swam into view, its fabric pure night. I see my brother sitting at the edge of my bed. "Hel!"he calls. "Wake up!" I rub my eyes, still groggy from the night before. It was my birthday party of sorts. Aging Eve, always placed on the eve of my birthday. I have many memories of it, from the age of three onward. But this one is blank for memories, full of cotton. I must have gotten drunk or something. That would be weird, but it would also be the most reasonable explanation. But I felt happy nonetheless. Why? Then it dawned on me. "It's my BIRTHDAY!!!" i yelled, in a haze of jubilation. "Dude, calm down." Hades said, throwing a pillow at my face. "IT'S MY EFFING BIRTHDAY!" I screeched at the top of my lungs. Out of the corner of my eye, something appeared. Mania. I rushed over to her, and wrapped her in a bone crushing hug. "Imma get ready, you guys." I said, wrapping my arms around either of their shoulders. 

My maid, a mortal named Krystal, has dressed and bathed me, and by the time she is done, I look like the events of last night, whatever they were, haven't  happened at all. I headed down to the dining hall, in  a purple chiffon tea dress that falls to my knees. My blond hair is pulled up into a painful bun, and placed under a pillbox hat. My horns poke out, and I wear silver eyeliner to match the metallic hue of my eyes. "We have your traveling clothes, miss." The butler says. He is a mortal. So many of them are mortals. Hurry up, or you won't be able to see Mania, I think to myself. We haven't had a moment alone for a while, and even though we are traveling together, we are not going to the same destination. I spot her on the way to the limo. "M!" I yell, rushing over. Nobody knows our relationship, but if they did... she turns around. She has always been tiny,as she is  only 5'1.We are behind a statue, only ourselves.Nobody can see us here.

Ten minutes later, we reemerge. Somehow, my outfit hasn't been ruined by that. We trudge down the stairs, silent, drowning in the awkwardness of the situation. Not as much food as usual is on the table, but it will suffice. A tureen of fruits has been put out for us, Asphodailian apples, Elysian Pomegranates, things from the Duat that even the chef doesn't know the name of. I sink my teeth into something juicy and sour-sweet. "You HAVE to try this." I rave, handing her one of the same type. "Oh. My. This." She says. "This is the BEST thing I have ever tasted." "Excuse me,"I ask.  "Can you get us some more of these?" In seconds, a mortal server is at our side, with a plate of it. I bite into it, the flavor sinking into my tongue. "I wonder if a dried version is available," I ask her. "I would absolutely LOVE to have it on the trip." "It shall be added to your bag,  miss." A server says. "Oh, thank you." I say.

 I watch Mania sink her teeth into the fruit, noting her features. Her hair is a midnight black, her eyes purple. Her skin is a pale olive, dotted with freckles. Her lips are a soft magenta, full, and sweet with the juice of the unknown fruit. Across the table, I breathe her in. Her perfume reaches this far. She smiled and raises her eyebrow at me. She has noticed. I make a face at her, sticking out my tongue. She smiles. I want to kiss her, but I can't. Her face is too far away, and so many people are watching. Instead, I tap my toe to hers. It is a kitten heel, white, and it has a silver buckle on it. She smiles. 

As soon as we are done with the fruit, we head out to the lobby. The limousine is parked out front. We will be traveling with our DemonGuard agents, an elite force designed to act as bodyguards for royalty and nobility. I wonder if we can shake them off and be by ourselves. The ride to the station is always long and boring, but the flat-screen TV can't hurt. About 6 escort cars are in-front and behind us, plus a few extra. For a second, I glimpse hundreds of mortals, trying to get to us through barriers, but then, the windows close. I nestle into my seat, next to Mania, a DemonGuard officer at either of our sides. Mania is a demon, but her father is the 5-star General, which puts her at a point of near-royalty. We are a very war-like culture. 

The limousine parks. We are led, like cattle, to a new train, and they put us in our own cars. "You may not go to one another's cars without permission from your Guard." A woman says. "The dining car is between them." I don't listen to another word of hers. She's  just a dumb mortal,anyhow. Who cares about them? She just wants to be Blessed, meaning given another chance at life. People who want to be blessed are often given awful jobs first. She must have to work the boiler or something. For a second, I feel bad for her. Then I remember that this is hell. Of course.

The train picks up pace, and since it is lunchtime, me and Mania are in the dining car, pigging  out on sandwiches. I don't know how we aren't obese at this point. In the middle of a PB&J, I seen it. A glimmer of light. Almost like the necklace... no, I can't think about that. I will not. "Mania. Look at this,"  I whisper, elbowing her in the ribs. "Mmm?" She mumbles, her mouth full of crumbs. We are there. Finally.