When I get to the cafeteria, Kali and Thomas are already there. Ambien suddenly materialize beside me making me jump a mile high and hiss like a feral cat.
"What the hell was that?" I demand shrilly.
"What we're here for." Kali responds, casually walking over to a table that has an assortment of breakfast items sat out on it.
"To die?" I ask.
"Yes." Ambien sings.
"No. To train." Thomas answers.
A blur rushes by, taking my breath away. As the blur slows, I can make out Sasuke, his long black hair trailing behind him magnificently. He comes to a stop with his hands resting on the table.
"I thought you wanted to die." Ambien reasons, before taking a big bite of cereal.
I stare at her wide eyed for a moment, my mouth hanging open in stunned silence. Can she read minds too?
Miguel limps in with a bolt in his calf.
"Oh my gosh. Are you okay?" I panic, rushing over to him. He brushes me off, sits at the table, props his leg on it and pulls the damn thing out. Blood spurts for a moment and then stops.
I can't stop myself coming over and wiping the blood from where the wound was, in amazement.
"I thought she talked to the doc this morning." Kali says as she sits at the table with her tray.
"Apparently it was a short one." Miguel answers as I'm still looking for a wound.
"Gross dude. You got blood all over the place." Thomas complains, handing Miguel some napkins.
Miguel pulls his leg away from me and wipes it clean. I stare at my hands for a moment then look around for a sink. Miguel is already walking over to it.
"I'm starting to believe you." I say as I'm waiting for him to be finished at the sink.
"Yeah. Well, days just getting started." He chuckles, walking over to the breakfast table.
As I wash my hands, I notice I've soiled the bandages around my wrist. As I carefully remove them, my eyes bulge in shock. I graze my fingertips over the blemish less pale skin of my wrists, raising goose bumps.
I try and process what's happening while I'm eating my fruity cereal, but Miguel distracts me.
"Look." He unfolds a piece of paper and sets it on the table for the group to see.
"Nice drawing." Sasuke congratulates, taking a big bite of his bagel.
"Finally finished it, huh?" Kali comments, giving it a cursory glance.
"Hey. Look it's got a mole like the Doc. Nice touch." Thomas laughs.
Ambien picks the drawing up and studies it. "Yes. This is her." She smiles widely, seemingly mesmerized by the image.
"Ambien agrees with you. That should tell you something." Kali chortles.
"You all are so small minded." Miguel huffs, grabbing the picture.
Everyone seems to pick up the pace, stuffing their face suddenly. Miguel's done first, running his bowl over to the dish area. I follow, unable to finish my breakfast.
"Why won't they believe you, that she's a demon? She just shot at us with a cross bow" I ask while pacing him toward the door of the cafeteria. Where is he going?
A bolt sticks in my shoulder and I scream in pain. Miguel grabs me by the arm, pulling me the last few steps out of the room.
"Hurry up!" He demands, dragging me behind him.
A blur flashes by then slows down.
"You guys are going too slow." Sasuke informs.
"I know." Miguel yells through gritted teeth.
I'm on the brink of crying from the pain when Miguel reaches over and yanks the bolt out. "Fuck!" I scream. The pain subsides just in time for another bolt to hit my lower back. I scream, coming to a complete stop.
"Teleport or the next one is coming for your head, Sara." Janine calls.
I'm lifted off my feet, suddenly looking at Sasuke's backside. Within moments we are outside, by a field I didn't notice when my dad dropped me off.
The bolt is yanked from my back and Sasuke places me on my feet. Miguel tosses the bolt in the trash, wiping his hands on his pants with an annoyed expression on his face.
"Thank you, Sasuke." I say embarrassed.
He beams back at me, running his hand through his beautiful long hair.
"No problem." He chuckles.
Miguel coughs loudly.
"You, too. I guess." I say, rubbing my back where the bolt had been, reflexively. My hand comes away bloody, I rub it on my pants.
"Welcome." He says, crossing his arms around his large chest. His pecs bulge in the thin purple material.
"Pair up. We're sparing today." Janine announces, taking a seat on a nearby bench. There she goes with that 'we' again.
Kali grabs my hand and drags me out on the field. "I'll go easy on you." She claims over her shoulder. She lets go of my hand when we're at the center of the field and steps back. She places her hands together and bows. I follow her lead confused. Then she proceeds to punch me square in my face.
"Shit, that's easy?" I complain before she knees me in the gut. I fall to the ground, struggling to breath.
"I'm not using all my strength. So yes." She confirms, standing back, apparently giving me a moment to get to my feet.
I stand and spread my feet a little, balling my hands into fists and putting them up in front of my face, like they do in movies.
"Ready?" she asks.
"No" I say. She proceeds to pummel me for the next however long. She really seems to enjoy it. It is almost like she is dancing. Lost in the violent movements of her body. I'm reminded of Mia again. A pleasant but unwelcome memory.
--------------------------------------
"How's the grounding going?" Mia asked.
After Arizona, mom checked herself into a mental rehabilitation center in northern Idaho and dad became even more busy at the hardware store.
"Oh, well my dad's never around. Hard to enforce grounding when you aren't there." I answered, sounding more pitiful than I meant to.
She pursed her lips, nodding. "So, I can come over?" She inferred, looking at me with a mischievous smile.
I blinked in surprise. "Yeah." I answered too emphatically.
"Awesome. I am going to school you at Dance Prance Revolve." She asserted.
I couldn't stop smiling the rest of the class, thoughts of Mrs. Lamb, my dad, and all my troubles pushed to the back of my mind with the anticipation of spending the afternoon with Mia.
"Should I follow you?" Mia asked as we walked out of the school side by side. My arm brushed hers and a jolt of excitement coursed through me.
"I don't have a car." I answered, not even caring how pathetic that might seem. I had my license, just no car. Dad wouldn't let me get a job and he wouldn't buy me one, so here we were.
"Alright. So, you can ride with me." She announced cheerfully. She led me over to an adorable light blue Bug and I never wanted to kiss her more. It was almost as adorable as she was.
"I love your car." I commented, getting in the passenger side.
She laughed. "I know it's like a clown car, but I just love Bugs." She replied.
"I think it's perfect." I answered, gazing into her eyes before realizing I was being weird. I chuckled awkwardly while fidgeting with the vent.
"You cold?" She asked, turning on the heater.
I directed her to my house only a few blocks away.
"You know I have been here before, right?" She teased as I instruct her on another turn.
"Oh yeah." I said, blushing.
She pulled into the driveway, and I let us into the house.
"The doors fixed." She commented as we walked down the hall.
I flinched at the reminder that she was there to witness such a low point in my life.
"Yeah, I fixed it." I admitted, walking straight through into the kitchen. Part of dad's punishment was having me fix the bathroom door he'd busted down when I hadn't answered. It had been a task.
"Really? That's awesome." She said, sounding genuinely impressed.
"Don't look too closely or you won't be so impressed." I joked.
"Now I have to get a closer look." She asserted, flipping on the hall light.
"No." I pled laughing, running around the island as if I was going to stop her.
She ran her petite fingers along the off-colored stripe where I applied varnish.
"I think it looks better this way." She claimed encouragingly, looking over at me. Our faces were incredibly close. I swallowed, unconsciously licking my lips.
"Snacks?" I asked, walking into the kitchen again. I pulled out some juice and poured it in some cups then some crackers in bowls. I slid hers across the island where she had found a perch.
"Thanks." She said, sipping juice. "Your parents own the hardware store in town, right? They both work there?" She asked, looking around the kitchen.
"Yeah. My dad does. My mom does too when..." I trailed off. "Um when she is here. Let's go into the living room so I can set up the game." I suggested, trying to distract her from my response. I grabbed my bowl and cup, setting them on the coffee table, and began pulling out the game and plugging everything in.
"My mom is a little mental too. I think all parents are. We probably do it to them." She joked, having no idea how close to home she hit.
I flinched at her words as if she had physically struck me as I laughed, finishing setting up the game.
"You ready to get owned?" I challenged while striking a ridiculous pose.
"Only if you're ready to get schooled." She chuckled, hopping off the couch to come take her place on the flimsy foot pads.
I started the game. I was totally obliterating her. I had a perfect score while she was barely still in the game.
I glanced over at her victoriously, but she didn't notice. Her hands were up in the air, her hips swaying to the beat. Her movements were magic, and I was mesmerized. She was lost to the world. She danced unperturbed by the instructions of the game, feeling the music in her body with eyes closed. Her shirt lifted revealing soft supple hips that came to a pinched sensual waist. Even her belly button was cute. Not quite an inny but not quite an outy. Her plum purple hair cascaded around her lovely face, a look of contentment there. She won, obviously, since I spent the second half of the song staring at her.
"Sara!" My dad called, the door slamming behind him. Shit! Mia stopped dancing and stared at me with wide chocolate eyes.
"Dad." I met him at the hall entrance to the living room. Mia caught his eye, dissipating some of his anger.
"You're not supposed to have friends over, Sara. You're grounded." He informed. "You're going to have to go. Sorry." He said uncomfortably to Mia before walking into the kitchen.
I walked her out to the front porch. "Sorry Mia I.." Her lips brushed against my cheek like butterfly wings, stopping me mid- apology.
"See you tomorrow, Sara." She said, looking back at me with a cheeky smile as she walked to her car.
I watched her pull out and drive down the road, my mouth wide open. I snapped it shut, shaking my head. Closing the door, I made my way into the kitchen to face the music.
-----------------------------------------------------
"Sara. Dr. Hemsworth wants to speak with you." Janine interrupts mercifully.
I get off the ground and run away from Kali.
"Can you find your way from here?" Janine asks, knowing I was carried out here.
"I'm not sure." I say lamely.
"Sasuke, come here."
I look over my shoulder. Kali has already moved onto her next victim, gleefully beating on Thomas. Sasuke stands by, his sparring partner having been stolen. He's beside us in a flash. He's crazy fast.
"Show Sara the way to Doctor Hemsworth's office. Let her walk this time, though." Janine instructs, giving him a mock pointed look at the end.
"Okay, Janine." He agrees, smiling that easy smile of his. He turns it on me, and we walk off in the direction of the building.
"Thanks again for carrying me." I say, feeling a little embarrassed about it.
"Don't worry about it. You're light. I could carry you every day, but I don't think Janine would let us get away with it." He gives me conspiratory smile.
I would not describe myself as light, but I won't argue.
"Yeah. I need to learn to teleport. Not a sentence I thought I'd ever say." I laugh at how ridiculous it sounds.
"Yeah, probably. I wish I could. I'm the only one that doesn't have any powers." He admits glumly, but he recovers quickly beaming at me again.
"What do you mean? You're so fast and strong." I say, genuinely confused.
"Yeah, but everyone is. Those are more like innate traits, like healing." He explains.
"Oh." I respond. We're in front of the doctor's office.
"Thank you for showing me the way." I say awkwardly.
"No biggie. All I missed was Kali beating the life from Thomas and that's nothing new." He jokes.
I giggle, embarrassingly.
"See you later." He bids as he walks away, leaving me in front of the closed door with possibly a demon behind it. Suddenly there is a lump in my throat. I swallow hard and knock.
"Come in." I hear from the other side.
Dr. Hemsworth is seated in front of her desk waiting for me. "How has the rest of your morning been, Sara?" She asks with that smile that doesn't reach her eyes. A demon would smile like that, huh?
"Weird." I answer, sitting in the seat across from her. I lean back and cross my arms, even more guarded than before.
"Are you ready to accept the truth?" She asks evenly, leveling me with an unreadable expression.
"That I'm an angel?" I say, making sure I sound as skeptical as I feel.
"A half angel of sorts. Yes." A small, empty smile on her face.
"I can't deny something weird is happening to me. It's hard for me to believe it is angelic, though." I say somewhat accusingly, my brows creasing. Maybe this whole thing is actually some kind of demon curse they are trying to pass off as angelic.
"You have something you want to say?" She asks, dropping her façade. She glares back at me, challengingly.
The look makes me sit up straight and fix my face. She is scary.
"No." I murmur, staring at my hands.
"Alright. If you're done being obstinate, I will explain everything to you." She leans back in her chair, crossing one long shapely cocoa colored leg over the other.
"This facility was created for half angels like you. The Nephilim. Places like The Center have existed for a long time to help the Nephilim learn to adapt to life with angelic abilities, they develop around full human maturation. We here at the center are dedicated to helping beings like you, reach your full potential." She says this all as if she has said it a million times.
"Full potential for what?" I ask. "I haven't even graduated high school. Yesterday I didn't even want a future so why should I care about my 'full potential'?" I babble, the full weight of my reality sitting on my chest making it hard to breath.
"Take big, slow belly breaths." She orders, standing and going behind her desk. She comes back with a large blanket. The weight of the blanket seems to calm me down, reminding me of when I was small and would cuddle up in my dad's lap. I feel ridiculous but my heart rate slows, and I can breathe normally.
"You're not the first Nephilim to gain abilities during high school. Sasuke is in the same position. We have online options for you to finish in the evening and on weekends. If I remember correctly, you only have a quarter left."
Her words are so comforting. Although this is my most mundane and simple problem, the monotony of it is what makes it so comforting. If this place can help me finish high school and control these destructive powers, maybe I can go off to college like dad wants. Maybe I'll stop hurting him, stop hurting everyone.
"Thank you." I say with a small smile. I mean it. I'm grateful. I feel a little guilty for thinking she was a demon. Especially considering my experience with the accusation. I can't blame my mom for believing I'm one though. Demon or not, I am the source of all her suffering and by extension, dad's as well.
"You're welcome." She returns my smile. "As for your full potential and what that means for your future, you have options. Would you like to hear them?" She asks. She knows I've had a lot dumped on my plate already and she's being considerate of that. How could I have thought she was evil.
"I actually would." I agree, cuddling into the big soft blanket.
"Alright then." She begins cautiously. "Those with exceptional abilities have the opportunity to be employed by some of the most influential people of this time. Nephilim work in different capacities. Generally, as either security, as bodyguards, or sometimes they take on a personal assistant role. It is an amazing opportunity offered only to the most skilled Nephilim. Then there is the guard. Nephilim play a vital role in keeping Lucifer locked up in Hell. Many find great satisfaction in playing a role in saving the world from Armageddon." She explains.
I just stare at her. Bodyguard or prison guard? Those are my options. I am nothing but a tool of violence now. An enforcer of someone else's will. My only redeeming quality, the one I hate most. My uncanny ability to hurt others.
Dr. Hemsworth must see the panic building in my eyes. "There is still hope if you can gain enough control of yourself." She says flatly, leveling that gaze on me again. I'm reminded of my talk with Mrs. Lamb and dad.
------------------------
I finally broke down and told my councilor, Mrs. Lamb, what was going on with me, she insisted I tell dad.
"Sara, can you tell your father what you told me?" Mrs. Lamb prompted. I stare at her then down at the floor.
"What is Mrs. Lamb talking about, Sara?" My dad insisted.
"I'm hearing voices, okay." I blurted. A look of sheer horror came over his face, just as I knew it would.
"What kind of voices?" he demanded, his brow furrowing.
"I don't know. Talking. It's hard to make out what they're saying." I responded.
He just shook his head. It was too much for him like I knew it would be.
"It could be auditory, could be psychological. Sara needs to be seen by her doctor." Mrs. Lamb offered, seeing my father's dismay.
"Auditory?" He asked.
"It could be her hearing. Some people have ringing in their ears. Maybe Sara is mistaking this for voices." Mrs. Lamb explained.
'When did she come up with this idea' I question internally.
"Alright." Dad seemed to find hope in this. "Why didn't you say anything sooner, Sara?" Dad asked, trying to come off as comforting but I could tell he was panicking.
I blinked at him. I thought his response just then answered his question. "I don't know." I responded.
"I'll make a doctor's appointment for this week. Is there anything she can do about her grades?" Dad asked Mrs. Lamb.
"She'll have to talk to her teachers and see if they'll let her make up some tests once everything is straightened out. The good news is, there's hope of turning things around." Mrs. Lamb asserted enthusiastically.
-------------------------------------
I take slow belly breaths. The blanket is starting to feel claustrophobic. The whole office feels like it's trying to close in on me. I focus in on her words 'There is still hope'. What hope? My only hope is survive by causing more suffering. She is lying.
'Liar!' I scream in my mind at her.
Suddenly this perfect, beautiful, intimidating woman is on her hands and knees before me. she looks up at me, a small amount of blood coming from her nose. I think that's blood anyway. It looks dark. She quickly wipes it away.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thank you for reading.
Which option would you choose?
A) Work for a unknown powerful entity on earth
B) Lucifer's prison guard in Hell
C) There's always an option C