The two boys--who introduced themselves as Zach, the eldest, and Mark, the youngest--stop in front of a grand house. Finally looking up from my feet, I take in the house and all its grandeur. It's massive in size, obviously built for hundreds of people, with a redbrick exterior. There are three stories, square windows across the wall equally distanced from each other. The lawn is pristine, with carefully tended hedges and plants, and large oak double doors to enter.
I couldn't tell you how much land it sits on, but a tall stone fence surrounds the perimeter of the land, with steel gates to allow people to enter and exit through. It gives the feeling of safety when you would think that it would scream seclusion.
I start to feel some of the fear retracting as I take in all the happy faces of people loitering around in the front yard. Maybe this place won't be bad if everyone is happy here. No one pays a bit of attention to us, which makes me further like the place. However, almost if on cue, everyone stops talking and all eyes are on my father and me.
Most of them are wide-eyed stares, some of them are laced with jealousy and others with curiosity. I look to my father for help, but as usual, he is completely calm, as if all eyes weren't on us. In fact, he seems to not be paying any attention to anyone.
I look back to Mark next, and he nods his head, telling me to go forward. Following my dad's example, I keep my eyes locked on the doors as we walk towards them.
Stop staring, stop staring, stop staring, I chant in my head, hoping my silent wishing will somehow make them all avert their attention.
Sadly, it doesn't work, and for a moment I feel like hiding myself and turning invisible. However, on the walk here, I realized two things. One being, I can't let anyone know who I really am. There is so much shame in being a fallen angel, not to mention some corrupt people might try using my powers.
I've seen it happen. In my lifetime, only one other angel has fallen. His name was Axel, and he had been kicked out for reasons unknown to me. I had watched him fall, and I had watched him live his life. He was always one of my favorite angels, always playing with me as a child and telling me stories, so I wanted to make sure he was doing ok. A year went by and he had been doing fine, until he met a girl. The thing about her was that she wasn't human; I gathered that from watching her as well. She was a demon--a vampire. She found out Axel's secret, and she reported it to her clan leader.
Axel's gift was the power to freeze anything or anyone. Axel, another year later, was completely infatuated with the girl. She used that to her advantage, and manipulated Axel to use his powers to help them. He did, not realizing their intentions were nothing but evil. Eventually, he had to be killed because of the destruction he was bringing upon God's children--the humans.
It wasn't a happy time for me, but sadness was foreign in heaven, so it wasn't too hard to cope.
And the second thing I realized on my walk here is that even Earth's animals are intrigued by me. Truly, it's weird having a squirrel stare at you as you're walking by.
Once the doors open to the house, I realize it is completely packed, but no one is saying anything, and they've all parted and left a path for us to walk through. No one says a word, no one hardly moves a muscle.
Weird, I think to myself. It's as if they knew we were coming. Then again, there is something off about these people...It's unnerving, to say the least.
We couldn't have been moving fast enough. I wanted to get away from all the scrutinizing stares. I swear, these people act like they've never seen an angel before. The further away we get from the main room of the house, the less people there are and the more comfortable I feel. I'm not going to be completely carefree though; I'm still treading through a strange house with two boys who refuse to explain anything to me.
After many twists, turns, and steps climbed, Zach knocks on one of the many doors in the hallway, and someone opens it. I keep my eyes on my feet still.
I wait for movement, but there is none.
"Um, can we come in?" Zach asks whoever must be blocking our way.
"Who are they?" Something inside of me starts to stir at the sound of that voice. A foreign feeling in fact. Whatever it was, I liked it. That voice, dare I say, is a voice worthy of an angel. Deep yet velvety, smooth yet rugged. It has my heart skipping a beat.
"We're not sure. We found them roaming around the woods," Zach answers.
"Let them in," someone commands from inside, his voice powerful and commanding.
Dad gives me a gentle nudge forward, and I snap out of my almost hypnotic trance and force my feet forward, instead of towards that amazing voice.
"Look up," the man behind the desk we stop in front of orders me firmly. Reluctantly, I do, and am more than happy when he doesn't look at me as if I have a second head. Just by his looks though, he doesn't seem to be a man of many emotions. His face is as solid as stone. He looks young, maybe in his mid-thirties or so. "State your names please."
"Errapel," Dad says first without wasting a moment. I suppose that means I should follow suit. The man looks to me next, and I clear my throat.
"Emmy Lou." No matter how much I loathe my full name, it must be necessary if Dad stated his. Errapel is a mouthful; I would call him Erin, if I didn't already call him Dad.
"Surnames."
Dad and I exchange looks. Neither of us has a last name. My mother never told me hers, as it didn't really matter, so I can't use that.
"Not available," I say, hesitantly.
"Excuse me?" the man questions, looking at me with a raised eyebrow.
"We don't have last names," I explain. "It's sort of a...family tradition."
I see the corner of his mouth twitch slightly. Just as quickly as a sign of emotion is there though, it's gone.
"Last names are a family tradition," he says.
"Oh, well, I don't know anything about family traditions."
"Very funny. Now, please state your last name." I resist the urge to groan aloud. Is it not clear enough that we don't have last names? Last names are useless in Heaven. Even if we did have last names, it's not going to get anything accomplished. If he plans on trying to pull a record up or something, he's going to be disappointed when he comes up short.
"Nevaeh. Surname is Nevaeh," Dad answers before I have the chance to divert. I give him a questioning look, to which he returns with a ghost of a smile. It takes a second, but then I realize it. Nevaeh is Heaven spelled backward.
Clever, I say telepathically, smiling at our newly formed inside joke.
"Errapel and Emmy Lou Nevaeh, please have a seat." We do as instructed, taking the comfortable leather chairs in front of his desk. I fold my hands in my lap, my posture perfect. If there is one thing I hate, it's slouching. Or at least, my mother hated it and I picked up on it. The man takes a moment to look us over, his eyes calculating.
I'm not too aware of that though, because I'm too focused on a pair of eyes I can feel on the back of my head. I can sense a strong emotion emanating from the person staring at me. It's undoubtedly lust. But there is also some other feelings as well. Longing, desire, affection. I find it all a bit overwhelming. Who could be having such intense feelings? And why?
I get the lust; I've been sensing that from Zach and Mark, as well as others. However, for some reason, it's much more intense. And I find it surprising when I realize I'm not disgusted by this.
Still, I refuse to turn around. The sole fact that these emotions are too intense to make sense, and that the source of them is obviously someone I might want to avoid is why I refuse to turn around.
Finally, the man speaks. "You two aren't human, are you?" I pause, how did that happen? Do we have 'fallen angels' written all over our faces? As far as I know, we look completely normal. Sure, we might give off a certain aura, but other than that we certainly look human. Celestial, maybe ethereal, but human. The only thing that could give it away is our eyes, but that's only if you really study them and recognize the purple. And I'm almost positive fallen angels are seldom dealt with here.
Wait, calm down Emmy. He simply stated we aren't human, not that we're fallen angels.
But obviously, they aren't human either, because a human wouldn't exactly question us on this. My hunch about them is right, because no mortal could have guessed that. So, what are they?
How?! I literally yell to dad telepathically.
They're not humans either, Emmy, he replies. Well, that much I knew, but my real question is what they are.
Then... what are they?
If my guess is correct... Werewolves.
It takes a second to process that. Werewolves. Werewolves? Werewolves?! Seriously? How unlucky can we possibly get? Werewolves are right up there next to vampires on the supernatural hierarchy. Which means they're about as trustworthy as vampires are. The only thing they have going for them is that they aren't demon spawn, like vampires, but they're not exactly cut from the same cloth that angels and humans are.
In addition, we've managed to get trapped in a house surrounded by them. I start to panic. What if they do to me what the vampires did to Axel? Even if they can figure out that I'm not human, I refuse to reveal the truth. Still, I can't help my horror. And in my panicked state, I make one mistake.
I turn around.
Why that was my first reaction, I haven't the slightest clue. However, what my eyes land on has all my worries slipping away, even if it's only briefly.
The boy who has been burning a hole in the back of my head is whose eyes I meet. And they have me locked in their golden brown depths. Dark hair falls over his forehead in slight waves, tousled as if he had rolled out of bed and ran a hand through it, without looking sloppy. Every part of him looks like someone spent a lot of time crafting him to perfection. And perfection they achieved. Even though he's sitting, I can tell he's a tall man. His arms are crossed over his chest, his muscles bulging. His overall physique is athletic and strong. He is, without a doubt, the most gorgeous and striking man I have ever seen.
And that's coming from me, previous resident of Heaven.
Suddenly it feels like I'm thrust back to Heaven, accompanied by this mystery boy. Because, take my word for it, looking at him feels just like Heaven. Maybe even better. As weird as that may sound--because I must be clearly out of my mind to be thinking such things--it is the whole-hearted truth.
"Miss Nevaeh?" The man behind the desk asks.
And just like that, I'm booted out of my own Heaven once again.
I almost slap myself when I replay what I was just thinking. It's obvious this boy is a werewolf as well, so what am I doing admiring his looks after just having told myself I need to avoid him? More importantly, I can't believe I'm actually lusting after him. That's about twenty-three different levels of wrong.
"Yes?" I ask, turning my attention back to him. He looks at me with curiosity, and then his eyes flick to the astounding creature behind me. A flicker of realization is there before he looks back to me once again.
"Would you mind stepping out for a minute? Jeremy will accompany you," he says. I gulp, knowing that Jeremy must be the mystery boy. The idea of being alone isn't pleasing, yet oddly, it is.
"Go on," Dad says, and I gape at him. Did he not sense the emotions coming off this boy in waves? I don't want to be away from my dad. Besides the clothes on my back, he's the only thing I have. Despite earlier animosity, I don't want to be away from him.
"Dad-" He gives me a stern look, and I know that I must obey. Hesitantly, I stand up, my palms suddenly becoming clammy as I look at Jeremy once again, getting up to lead me out. He holds the door open for me, his eyes never leaving mine. Gulping, I step through the door, my gaze returning to my feet. I realize I have never looked at my feet so much in my life.
When I step out and he closes the door, I look down the hallway we are in, realizing that we are completely alone.
Great.
Jeremy clears his throat from behind me, and slowly, I turn around. He's casually leaning against the wall, arms crossed and his eyes staring at me intently.
I try finding something to say but all I manage to squeak out is, "Uh... Hi?"
He looks at me for a second before he laughs, another beautiful sound from this beautiful man.
"Hi," he says after laughing. I nervously bite my lip during the silence that ensues, consisting of nothing but us just staring at each other. After studying my face for something, he waves me over with his hand.
Stupidly, I look around to see if he's motioning for someone else. He laughs again.
"Yes Emmy Lou, I mean you." My heart flutters as he says my name. I've mentioned that I loathe my name, but now I'm rethinking that. The way he said it has me wanting him to repeat it.
It takes all I have to not go to him. I can't though, that is a definite no-no. I shake my head, taking a step back to put even more distance between us. He frowns and takes a step towards me.
"What's wrong?" he asks, genuinely sounding concern.
"N-nothing," I stutter, taking another step back.
His frown deepens. "You're acting like you're afraid," he says. "You don't have anything to be afraid of."
I shake my head. I'll admit to being a bit afraid--you can thank these unreasonable feelings I'm having for that. It seems to be going against every fiber of my being to remain at a distance when I can have him close. Which is what scares me. Why am I feeling this way? I shouldn't be feeling this way. Especially towards a werewolf.
Of all the messed up situations I could have gotten into and of all the people I could have gotten involved with on this planet, it had to be with a pack of werewolves and the most beautiful man I've ever seen.
With that in mind, I realize I have to get out of here. But he's blocking my way. When he takes another step forward, I realize I have no other option. I have to use my powers. At this point, revealing my secret is the least of my worries. I just have to distract him first.
"Hey, what's that?" I blurt out, pointing behind him. His eyebrows furrow and he turns around to look at the wall, where nothing of interest is. I briefly shake my head at my weak distraction, and the fact that it worked due to his gullibility.
Taking his brief distraction to my advantage, I close my eyes and take a deep breath, allowing my invisibility to kick in. When I open my eyes, I see a confused looking Jeremy looking around, trying to find me.
And then I run.
I don't know where I'm going, but I try going straight and hoping for the best. When I feel Jeremy gaining on me, I take a right turn and once again hope for the best. This pattern continues until I can no longer feel him nearby and I enter a large room that I quickly recognize as a kitchen.
I realize then that werewolves have advanced senses, which means he might have been able to smell me. I hope the food in the kitchen will help mask that scent some, and I quickly duck in, only to find I'm not alone. I tiptoe into a corner, hoping my little plan works. If not, these girls will certainly know something is up.
It seems to be working though because they're both unaware of my presence even after a minute passes.
"Did you see her?" A red-headed girl says to her friend. Since I have to wait for Dad before I leave this place, I decide to remain hidden in the kitchen, where the two girls are preparing food.
"No. Who is she?" The second girl responds. Her brown hair is in a ponytail high atop her head, and she's holding a slice of bread in her hand as she piles things on it.
"I'm not sure, but I don't like her."
"Why not?"
"Just look at her! She looks like a freaking Barbie doll. Can you say fake?" The brunette rolls her eyes and twists the top of a jar back on.
"You're just jealous," she states. "Besides, I thought we were above tearing down other women?"
The red-haired girl simply rolls her eyes. "Please, I'm not jealous. But she's already like a celebrity and half the people in the house are teenagers. Five bucks says even Jeremy will be all over her."
"Jeremy isn't like that," the brunette says. "You should know, he turned you down good."
"It was just bad timing," the red-haired girl shrugs it off. She tosses a napkin in the trashcan before the door to the kitchen comes flying open and a frazzled looking Jeremy steps in, his eyes scanning over the room. The two girls jump in surprise, the second girl dropping the knife she was using to spread something on bread.
"Jesus, what was that for?" The red-haired girl says. That's not Jesus, I think sarcastically.
"Have you seen her?" Jeremy asks, his eyes still scanning the room. I hold my breath as his eyes linger over the spot I'm in for a second before they return to the two girls.
"Seen who?"
"Emmy... The girl who was brought in not too long ago."
"Oh... Her. No, haven't seen her," the red-haired girl says. Jeremy growls softly, his golden eyes slowly fading to black. I stare at them in astonishment. It must be a werewolf thing. He scans over the room one last time before turning and walking out of the kitchen, and I let out a breath of relief.
The red-haired girl turns to the brunette, a smug smile on her face. "You owe me five bucks."
The brunette girl rolls her eyes in response and shoves a plate of sandwiches into the red-haired girl's hands. She leaves the kitchen, carrying the tray as the second starts cleaning up.
"That girl is a pain in my ass," she mumbles to herself, causing me to giggle just a bit. I slap my hand over my mouth as the sound escapes, and she freezes. Turning around quickly, her back against the counter and her hands gripping the edge, her eyes dart around the room swiftly.
After thoroughly searching, she realizes nothing is there. Well, nothing she can see. Slowly, she eases and returns back to work. I know it's a dumb move, but that was actually funny. So, I remove my hand from my mouth and start laughing quietly, hoping to scare her some.
This time, she tenses up again, slowly turning her head to look over her left shoulder. Walking over to her right side, I allow my self to be visible again, and I lean in close to her ear and whisper, "Boo."
She looks over quickly, her eyes widening when she sees me. Then, she screams and jumps onto the counter, hiding her face in the rag. I start laughing hysterically at her reaction, but quickly sober up when I hear feet pounding towards the kitchen. Quickly closing my eyes and taking a deep breath, I'm invisible as soon as three people come running in.
"What's going on?!" one shouts.
"Don't kill me ghost!" the girl cries, her face still buried in the rag. I scoff to myself. Ghost.
"Seriously? You're screaming over a ghost?!"
"I SAW HER!" she continues yelling.
"There is no one in here!"
She removes the rag, looking wearily around. Her mouth gapes when she comes up short, and I silently laugh at the fact that I'm right next to her still.
"I-I... but... There was..." she stutters.
"Almost gave me a goddamn heart attack," one of the guys who came running in huffs, stomping out of the room. The other two shake their heads in disapproval, before following him out. I do the same.
*
Emmy, where are you? Dad says. I snap out of my thoughts, finally glad to hear from him. After leaving the kitchen, I found myself a comfortable spot not too far from the office I was previously in, and I've been here for a good hour, reminiscing.
A few people passed by me without realizing it, and each time I got a good laugh. All of the topics people have been discussing as they pass by revolve around Jeremy and the brunette in the kitchen, whose name I found out is Laney. Apparently, everyone thinks she's a nut-job, which I feel bad for.
But I do find it ironic that they're calling her a nut job for actually believing in ghosts, and they themselves are werewolves.
Also, Jeremy, according to the grapevine, has been on a nonstop search. I almost feel bad about that too, but quickly let it go. I'll be gone soon, and he won't have to worry. I don't know why he's looking for me anyway; he must have orders to keep me in his sight.
I've also found out that Alpha Nicholas was who had been questioning me--you know, you-have-to-have-a-last-name guy--and his son is none other than Jeremy. I reckon that's why he was in the office.
Outside the office. Can we leave now? I respond.
Come in, he says, ignoring my question.
Sighing, I once again make myself visible and dust off the back of my dress, before casually strolling into the room, not bothering to knock.
I pause when I notice Jeremy is in the room. He must have walked right past me, and I hadn't even realized it. I was deep in thought, I wouldn't be surprised if he had been sitting in front of me and I wasn't aware.
So much for cleverly avoiding him.
He seems to visibly relax when I walk in, before tensing up again and shooting me a hard look. Whoops.
Ignoring it and the bit of sadness because of his disapproving look, I take my previous seat next to Dad.
"Alright, let's get down to business," Nicholas says, folding his hands on top of the desk. What business could there possibly be? We've established names, and I've established with myself that I'm leaving. So what else is there to discuss? "You two have been caught trespassing on Bellewood pack territory. All supernatural creatures need permission to pass through our territory, and I have no records of a granted request from an Errapel and Emmy Lou Nevaeh."
I open my mouth to interject, but Nicholas holds his hand up to stop me. In all fairness, a formal request would have been impossible to make, considering we were in Heaven not too long ago. And it isn't our fault that we just so happen to have landed in their territory.
"Unfortunately, as you refuse to cooperate and reveal your intentions and species, the penalty is death."
"Hold on just a minute," I say, holding up both of my index fingers in a halting signal. "That seems a bit extreme, don't you think? We weren't aware that we were trespassing, and we will be more than happy to leave. And besides. We're not werewolves, so what does it matter if we're in your territory?"
"All groups of supernaturals have an agreement to stay off each other's lands without permission," he states. "Now please let me finish."
My hands clench as he stares at me, telling me that I'm only going to make it worse on myself if I continue speaking. Crossing my arms over my chest in frustration, I shut up to allow him to finish before I high tail it out of here.
"However, your case is different. We are willing to drop the penalty if, and only if, you agree to some terms."
"What are the terms?" Dad asks before I can.
"First, Emmy Lou is to stay within the borders of the territory at all times-"
"Excuse me?!" I cut him off. "I'm not staying here!" Already, these terms are ridiculous. Why isn't a slap on the wrist and an escort out good enough? And, honestly, why do I have to be the one who is ordered to stay here? So if we don't go along with this and I don't agree to it, the punishment is death? Well, I would love to see them try and kill us.
Wait, they can't kill us! No matter what they do, we wouldn't die. So, why are we even listening to these terms?
"That isn't debatable. Whether or not you agree to it, you're staying," Nicholas says, his voice monotonous.
"You're funny," I scoff, going to stand up. Dad doesn't make a move, and I look at him in disbelief.
Are you coming or not? I ask.
Just listen to the rest of the agreement before you decide to leave, he says coolly. I scowl at him, before sitting back down unhappily.
"Now, the second term is that we must know your species, homeland, and you must prove you have no malicious intentions to harm the pack."
"I can assure you we never had or ever will have the intention to harm anyone in your pack. However, per my daughter's request, we would like to keep our nature a secret. And as for our homeland, all I can say is it's a place far off. As of right now, we're essentially homeless."
Nicholas studies his face for a minute, before looking over my shoulder. I turn around to see him looking at Jeremy, whose eyes meet mine.
I don't know why, but my breath catches in my throat. He must notice this, because his lips slowly start to curl up into a smile, revealing his perfect teeth and adorable dimples. I swear, I had to suppress a dreamy sigh. I'm just glad the cold glare is gone from before.
"So I think we can work something out here. Errapel, Emmy Lou, we would be more than happy to provide you with a place to stay."
With my eyes locked to Jeremy's and my mind completely fuzzy, I feel like I'm in a dream-like state. This, later on when I come to my senses, will be my only explanation as to why I nod in agreement to Nicholas' proposal.