Saint
"I think I'm done."
Looking up from my book, I walked over to the desk where Luci sat. She had been working on the math problems for a little over half an hour, and her improvement had been noticed.
Her notebook displayed the equations written perfectly. My arm wrapped around the back of her seat and I bent down to correct the work she had done.
"This looks really good Luci," I remarked. "I'm proud of you. There's very little mistakes this time."
Her face beamed and she dropped her head down low and smiled to herself.
I noticed Luci wasn't the one to show how happy she was about something. She'd always downplay her achievements whether they'd be big or small. She was modest and she didn't even know it.
"I had a good tutor," she said.
My face was smug and I looked down at her with a smirk.
"Yeah?"
"Yeah," she replied.
I took a deep breath and guided her out of her chair. Her back leaned against my desk and her head tilted to the side.
"You know I meant what I told Charlotte."
Her brows creased and she played with her fingers in her hand. She did it often when she felt nervous and started to get anxious. It was one of her little mannerisms that I found to be winsome.
"What do you mean?"
I tugged at her shirt and pulled her closer to my chest. Her heartbeat sped up but her face tried to remain composed.
"About how you looked pretty today," I explained. "I didn't tell you directly, but you looked really pretty today."
She looked down at the floor and I quickly caught her chin with my hand. Her dark brown eyes scanned mine and I couldn't read her expression clearly.
"Saint, you're scaring me," she laughed.
"What?" I frowned. "How?"
She held onto my wrist and sighed.
"You're just being too nice," she said. "I mean like three weeks ago you were threatening me with a knife."
"I know but," I trailed my other hand down her back and stroked down it softly. "I'm trying to earn your forgiveness."
"I get that, but you don't have to say or do stuff you don't mean," she countered. "It needs to be genuine."
"I am being genuine," I promised. "I don't say things I don't mean."
She pushed me away from her and crossed her arms. Her eyes narrowed and I saw her nostrils flare a bit.
"Is that so?" she questioned. "So I guess when you were insulting me and calling me names these past years, you actually meant all of that?"
"What- no, no. You're twisting my words. I didn't mean any of that."
"So do you only mean the nice things you say?" she asked. "And the mean things are just a passing thought that you felt the need to verbalize?"
What the fuck? How does her mood change so fast?
"No, not at all," I said. "Luci I don't really know what to say. I'm trying, I really am."
She buried her face in her hand and let out a loud groan.
"God, this is what pisses me off the most!" she yelled. "You didn't even have a valid reason for being so spiteful and cruel towards me. It's like you looked at me the first day you saw me and decided that I was your target."
My heart sank and I stuffed my hands inside my pocket. We were doing so well. I assumed we were making progress, but of course I was wrong. How could I be so naive into thinking that this would be easy.
"Luci I-"
"And don't you dare blame it on being an angel of death," she interrupted. "Because that's such a childish excuse."
Silence fell over us and the sound of the wind through my open window was apparent. I walked over to her and grabbed her by the hem of her shirt again. She fell into my chest and glanced up at me through wide eyes.
"Luci," I whispered. "I know I don't deserve you- I mean your forgiveness. And because of that I'll spend my entire life begging for it."
She remained quiet so I continued, "But for this to work, you have to at least be open to forgiving me. You want that right?"
She looked conflicted. It was as if her mind was having an internal battle.
"I mean, I don't know," she said quietly.
I hid my smile and pinched her cheek softly.
"Mm, I think you do you know," I said. "If you truly wanted nothing to do with me, you would've stopped talking to me after we went to Azure."
"You're not being fair," she retorted. "I'm the one that's supposed to have the upper hand and give you all the ultimatums."
You do, you just don't know it.
"Cry about it Angel," I smirked.
She feigned a pout and let out a deep sigh.
"Fine, I'll consider trying to forgive you. This doesn't mean I will, but I am willing to give you a chance to prove yourself," she explained. "This doesn't have a high chance of working out for you. I don't owe you anything."
We were so close to each other that all it would take was a mere inch for me to...
"Are you done?" I asked.
She nodded and her eyes trailed from my eyes to my lips. My grip on her shirt tightened and she clutched onto my bicep for support. I was slowly but surely leaning in, and before I could blink, Luci pulled away from my grasp and walked to the area behind me.
She pulled her braids over her shoulder and let out a deep breath. I could tell she had gotten flustered by the way she avoided eye contact with me. She mindlessly paced around my room and started looking around to diminish the tension.
"Wow, you have a lot of books here," she remarked.
She walked over to my bookshelf and trailed her pointer finger along the spines of my hardcovers.
I wasn't that much of a reader. The classics were just something I liked to reread in my spare time. She picked up a red book from the middle of the shelf and started to skim through it.
"What is this?" she asked.
Her fingers went to the pages and I watched as she flipped through and noticed the little inscriptions inside the margins.
"Just a random poetry book I saw at the thrift store some years ago," I explained. "All of these books are new except that one."
She nodded and continued to read through the book. "Did you write all of this in here?"
"Yeah sort of," I admitted. "The poems that came with the book aren't even important. I just liked all the empty space on each page."
Inside the margins on some of the pages, I had written frivolous entries about casual things. All of them started with a date and took up the entire page. I guess it was like a diary of sorts.
"January 8th," Luci read. "I went to the convenient store to pick up more black dye. They ran out, and the cashier told me to come back tomorrow. Why call yourself a convenient store if you're not going to be fucking convenient."
She laughed, and the sound was like music to my ears. She never did it often when she was around me, but I hoped I would be able to change that with due time.
She flipped to the next page and began to read my pointless entries. Her expression would change from amusement to shock then back to amusement.
"March 12th," she continued. "Rod bought the twins matching shirts and of course forgot to get me one. Not that I wanted one anyways; those shirts are fucking ugly."
Her gaze shifted to me and she threw me a small smile. "But of course, it wouldn't hurt to be thought of once in awhile. What if I wanted a shirt too? Would that be so horrible?"
She closed the book softly and handed it to me. Scratching the back of my neck, I took it from her and tucked it underneath my arm.
"Sorry," she apologized. "That was too intrusive of me."
"No, you're good," I said. "Nothing in this book is that serious, it's just some passing thoughts about a plethora of things."
She walked over to me and trailed her finger down my bicep. She tilted her head and had a playful grin on her face.
"Am I in this book?"
You're practically on every page. You would know that if read further.
"N-no not really," I lied.
All of a sudden she tried to pry the book out of my arm. Her hands snatched the book halfway but I caught her wrist and pushed her back against my wall.
"Someone's not being nice," I whispered.
"Learned from the best," she replied.
She trailed her other hand from my shoulder down to chest. Once her fingers reached the bottom, she went underneath my shirt and rested her hand on my abdomen.
"What are you doing Angel?" I warned.
"Nothing," she smiled. "Can I not touch you?"
Of course you can touch me. But not like this, not when you're looking at me like that.
She moved her hand up and down against my chest. Her fingers dipping into the ridges of my abs. She hummed as she daringly trailed her hand down lower.
"Watch it," I warned.
I made sure the book was secure under my arm. She was dangerously seductive and I thanked god that she didn't truly know it yet.
"Sorry you're just so..."
There was a deviant look in her eye. I had seen it before, but I couldn't focus with the way her hand was trailing down my body.
"Hot."
Before my mind could process what she had just done, the bottom of my shirt lit up in flames.
I dropped the book onto the floor and started to pat down my shirt. Luci however, escaped my grasp and bent down to grab the book.
"What the fuck!" I yelled.
The flames were getting spreading across my shirt and I could feel the heat on my skin. With swiftness I pulled the shirt off my body and threw harshly down onto the floor.
I stomped on it with great force and the flames diminished. With my breath heaving, I growled and turned my attention to Luci who sat on-top my bed with the book in her hand.
"August 19," she began, "I've never had a favorite color before."
My heart stopped when I realized what she was reading. Immediately I ran towards the bed and she hopped out and ran to the opposite side.
"I assumed it was as a frivolous thing to have. But today...There's this girl in my class named Lucille," she read.
"Wait Saint that's my name," she faked gasped.
I chased after her and she ran away from me while laughing. She was quick on her feet and it was hard to entrap her in my large room.
"Her hair is really red. It makes her stand out a lot," she continued.
I caught her in my arms for a mere second but she escaped my hold once more.
"Luci," I said slowly.
We were both panting and stood at the opposite sides of my bed. Her feet were swaying back and forth; preparing for another quick move.
"If you stop reading now, I won't hurt you," I promised. "But if you don't..."
Our eyes met and for a second I thought she would concede.
But boy was I wrong.
"Red is the color of fire trucks. It's the color of fresh roses and ladybugs and her coily red hair. Red is now my favorite col-"
I practically lunged at her.
My hand pinned down her wrists on the bed, and I ripped the book out of her hands. I flung it somewhere around the room and it hit the wall with a large smack.
My jaw clenched as I squeezed her wrists tighter. Her face changed to slight discomfort but she covered it up with a smirk.
"I was reading that," she said.
"Don't test me, Lucille."
She flinched when I used her full name. Her body squirmed under me, trying to get out of my grasp but I held onto to her wrists tightly.
My eyes twinkled with amusement when I noticed her discomfort.
She really likes being praised huh?
She stilled underneath me and I felt her body grow hot. The position we were in wasn't one she was unfamiliar with, but with my shirt off our body heat was mixing with each other.
"Not going to talk anymore?" I questioned. "But you were just having so much fun reading. I wanna hear your voice again."
Again she didn't say anything, she just looked up at me with a small smirk playing on her lips.
I traced the bottom of her lip with my thumb and her mouth parted. I stuck my thumb on the inside of her mouth and she lapped her tongue around the tip of it.
"Filthy mouth of yours," I cursed. "Always saying things it's not supposed to."
Her plump lips closed around my thumb and her brown eyes looked at me as she sucked on it. My entire lower body twitched. She was making it impossible to stay mad.
"Fuck," I swore. "You can't do things like that."
"Like what?" she asked. "I'm not doing anything."
"You overestimate my self control," I seethed. "Keep this up and I'll put you over my knees again."
She batted her eyes lashes at me and grinned.
"Promise?"
Who is this, and what did they do with Luci.
"I'm just messing with you," she laughed. "You should've seen your face though. Priceless."
She sighed and tried to remove herself from my hold. I placed a hand on her throat and squeezed the sides carefully. I watched as she let out a breath and her mouth slowly fell open.
"I told myself I would try not to hurt you Angel," I began.
I brought my mouth to her ear and whispered,
"But if you ask me to, then I will."
"That my darling is a promise."
Before she could reply, my bedroom door swung open. I immediately jumped off the bed when I saw Kate standing in the doorway. My cheeks became red and I ran a hand through my hair.
Charlotte came running up the stairs after Kate, and frowned when she saw that she had already entered my room.
"Kate I said we could call them later," Charlotte complained. "They seem busy right now."
Charlotte glanced at Luci who was on my bed wearing my shorts, and at me with my shirt discarded on my floor.
"Really busy."
Kate crossed her arms and wouldn't take her eyes off Luci. She looked at her like she was diseased. Her face scrunched up like she had smelled rotten eggs while she looked at Luci.
"Well dinner's ready," Charlotte said. "Mom will be back late and dad went to go pick her up so it's just us tonight."
I nodded and stuffed my hands into my pockets. The air was tense as Kate was still glaring at her.
"Luci?" Charlotte asked. "You should join us for dinner! We made pasta from scratch."
"Oh, thank you but I don't want to bother you all, so I'll just- "
"She's staying," I concluded. "Set a plate for her at the table."
"Actually no I can't," she said. "I have... plans later today. So I can't stay I'm sorry."
"What kind of plans," I asked. "With who?"
"Wouldn't you like to know," she smiled. "But since you're done torturing- I mean tutoring me, I'm gonna go home."
I nodded and watched as Charlotte smiled while leaving my room.
"Do you need a ride? I can take you back."
Going to my drawer I picked out a random shirt and slipped it on. I felt around my pockets for keys and tucked them into my back pocket.
"Actually no it's fine," she said. "Khalil's picking me up."
My eyes darkened at the mention of his name. I clenched my fist and tried to remain composed.
"Fine," I said. "If that's what you want."
I dropped my keys on my desk when all of a sudden Kate grabbed my hand and pulled me out the door. She slammed it as Luci was still inside, and her grip on my hand was cold.
"We need to talk," she said.
Shutting my eyes for a second, I took a deep breath. "What is it, Kate?"
"You know Saint," Kate said. "When I said you'll get your wings by doing kind and charitable acts, I didn't mean hanging out with the devil's daughter."
"I'm not hanging out with her to get my wings," I responded.
"Then why are you purposely fraternizing with her? You realize she is the very essence of what evil is?"
"She's not like that," I countered. "And I would appreciate it if you would call her by her name."
Kate scoffed and shook her head. "Saying her name is like summoning the devil."
"No it's not- "
My room door slowly creaked open and Luci peaked her through. Kate groaned and crossed her arms when she saw her.
"Sorry to interrupt," she said. "But Khalil is here so I'm going to go."
She held her backpack in one hand and walked past us. I followed her down the stairs and opened the door for her to go outside.
A familiar black car parked in the middle of my driveway. Obnoxious music was blaring loudly through the speakers and Khalil sat in the driver's seat with Celia next to him. I didn't see Marcus at all so I assumed it was just them.
Khalil got down from the car and disregarded my presence as well as Kate's. He smothered Luci in a giant hug and held her tightly.
"Ready to go sweetheart?" he asked.
She smiled at him nodded and pulse quickened when he looked at me for a split second before planting a quick kiss on the corner of her mouth.
Khalil went back to the car when Celia got out and let Luci take her passenger seat instead. She eyed Kate and me suspiciously before walking over towards us.
Kate immediately backed away and went inside the house when she saw Celia approach us.
"Stupid angel," Celia cursed under her breath.
She glared at me with her arms crossed and I felt the tension shift.
"Can I help you?"
"Are you and Luci friends?" she asked.
"We're friend-ly," I replied.
"She's not your charity case," she said. "You have no reason to keep being around her. You're only going to make it harder for yourself."
I didn't understand what she meant by that so I rolled my eyes.
"I know that, and I'm not treating her like one," I continued. "I just want her forgiveness for everything that I have done."
"Why?" she questioned. "Her forgiveness holds no weight to you. You don't gain anything from it."
"I want it because I'm sorry for my actions," I explained. "And shouldn't you be happy that I'm being nice to her?"
Her brows furrowed and she let out a deep breath. "Saint, my job is to protect her. And it's hard to do that when you are constantly around her like this. You put her in danger by hanging out with her."
I stood quietly and let her speak.
"Just make it easier for yourself and cut ties with her."
She attempted to walk away, when I grabbed her arm to stop her. Her hand was just as warm as Luci's, if not even warmer.
"Let me go," she demanded. "Don't make me ask twice."
"You know something," I concluded. "What is it that you're not telling me? Or should I say, what is it that you're not telling her."
Her eyes widened and I could feel her body grow hotter.
One thing about me was that I noticed everything. Even if I wasn't supposed to.
Celia had been quiet.
A little too quiet ever since Khalil had come in the picture. She wasn't as outspoken as she normally was, and that was terrifying.
"I don't know what you mean," she replied.
I scoffed and my gut told me that she wasn't telling the whole truth.
"I know we don't talk often, but don't forget how long I've known you for Celia," I reminded. "Maybe it's because I know you're a demon now, but you've always been a terrible liar."
She yanked her hand away from mine and pointed an accusing finger at me. I looked back at the car and saw that Luci and Khalil were having a heated conversation; not even paying attention to us.
"Everything I do, is for Lucille," she huffed. "And everything Marcus and Khalil do is for Lucifer. So whatever you think I'm hiding... it's for a good reason, Saint."
My stomach fell and a weird feeling washed over my body.
"What do you mean that everything Marcus and Khalil do is for Lucifer?"
Her breathing became uneven and I saw that one of her hands began to shake. Her eyes were starting to turn red and I was taken aback by the sudden change.
"I'm not supposed to say," she sighed. "Just don't trust them and stay away from Luci."
She began to walk back to the car when I called her name.
"What if I don't want to stay away from Luci?"
Her eyes narrowed and she took a deep breath before saying, "then prepare to reap the consequences of your decision."
She got into the back seat and Khalil immediately took off. I watched their car disappear through the large gates and out onto the street.
Kate came out of the house when they had left and held my keys in her hand.
"Let's go."
She walked over to my car and got in the passenger side door. I followed suit and got inside the car with her.
"Where are we going?"
She tossed me my keys before putting on her seatbelt. Moving her brown her over her shoulders she turned on the radio and sighed.
"Just drive," she said. "I'll direct you."
"Alright then."
I drove out of the gates and Kate gave me various directions. I had turned left more times than I could count, and I didn't recognize where she was leading us to.
"Go down this hill then make a right."
I started to drive down the hill, and I kept my pace slow. When I turned to look at Kate, I noticed her expression was stoic.
"How do you even know where we're going?"
"I looked it up on your phone yesterday," she replied. "Make a right."
I made a right turn, and the scenery changed from roads to a large patch of land. Green trees and many weeds bloomed all over and in the distance I could see a large building.
"Head over there."
She pointed towards the building and I drove towards. The closer I got to it, the shape of the building started to become clear.
"Park here."
I parked the car a few feet away on a patch of grass and got out. Kate grabbed my hand and led me towards the building.
The building was large and built in the shape of a cross. It was a tan color, with rustic stained glass windows as well as a pointed top on both sides of the building. There were many open windows and vegetation started to sprout along the panes. It had a 13-century gothic aura to it, and something about it was drawing me in.
"A church?" I asked. "Why are we at a church."
Kate led us to the large wooden door and she creaked it open.
"Cathedral," she corrected. "Churches are much smaller."
The inside of the cathedral was riddled with dust and spiderwebs everywhere. There was an altar in the middle surrounded by wooden pews. The ceilings were high and the sunlight reflected against the stained glass windows. Past the altar I saw a door that led to another room.
"Why are we here?" I asked.
Kate dropped my hand and turned to face me.
"I told you that you would earn your wings by doing kind and charitable acts. By proving you can be an angel," she explained. "So I present to you, your first service project."
The cathedral was desolate and messy. It seemed that no one had been here for years.
"I don't understand, what am I suppose to do?"
She sighed and motioned her hand to the floors and all other the cathedral.
"You're going to restore this abandoned cathedral," she said.
I scoffed and coughed when I felt the dusty air infiltrate my lungs.
"Are sure this is going to help me get my wings?" I asked. "What happens if I don't get my wings, would that really be so bad?"
Kate laughed and her voice echoed throughout the cathedral.
"Sure," she said. "You don't have to get wings, but you'll have to face the consequences."
"What consequences."
Why is everyone talking about consequences these days...
"Saint," she said slowly. "If you don't get your wings soon, you'll be bound to Earth forever. You're still just as much as human as you are angel, and that's a big problem."
"Would it be so bad if I stayed here? I mean what's the rush?"
"Sure, you could stay here," she said. "But do you know what happens if you don't get your wings Saint?"
"What?" I scoffed.
Whatever it was, I was sure it wouldn't be that terrible. There was nothing that I knew of that I was missing in Heaven, or wherever I would go.
She took a deep breath before coming towards me and cupping my cheek in her soft hand.
"You'll die."
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What do you think Celia is hiding?
What do you think she meant when she said Khalil and Marcus are loyal to Lucifer not Luci? 😏: