1 An Angel

{Running. I was running, my legs were giving out but I continued to run as fast as I could. Breathing in the cold air and it hurts, but I continue to run. I don't even know why, I just follow the instincts that tell me to get away, to save myself, that they ate here to kill me.

Who's going to kill me? I ask myself but I never get an answer so I just run. Gasping for air and every time I dare to look back I see eyes. Menacing and so bright like a light, shining in the dark. They get closer and I see feathers, closer and I see long silver blades, closer and I see—}

"Miss Castellan!" The girl snaps awake, hitting her desk and dropping her book down on the ground as she hears the loud screech of her name being called. There are a couple of snickers heard and comments are thrown here and there when the teacher calls out on Azalea to wake up. In her defense, she didn't even know she fell asleep. The class was boring and one moment she was drawing swirls in her notebook and the next she was dreaming of being chased in the woods by some feathered monsters or something of that nature. The dream, better say nightmare, hasn't been getting her much sleep for weeks now. However, the teacher didn't know nor cared about what was happening to her students once she got paid by the school from the tuition they were milking out of every student enrolled, plus funding. Greedy bastards.

"Azalea, do you know the three gifts the Magi sent?" The teacher, Mrs. Cheng, asked. It was a pretty easy question. The ones you learn as a kid in your Catholic school. Azalea knows the question but it didn't click well with her. She blinks before blurting out the three things she knew back in third grade.

"Gold, Myrrh, and FrankSentThis." The class erupted with laughter at the honest mistake of the girl, but Azalea was too tired to process what she had said. The teacher was less than amused. She looks mildly defeated when the lecture class went from still quietness to giggles. Azalea was still lost, more awake when the class became livelier and chatty. It took the girl beside Azalea to tell her what happened for Azalea to join the others in her mistake. Mrs. Cheng puts her glasses down and closes her book. This was a cue that class ended. Everyone started to get up and put their stuff away while Mrs. Cheng desperately yells;

"Remember about the quiz for next week on the classifications of angels in Christianity and murder of Christians during the Roman Empire! Make sure to start reading the next chapter about Hinduism!" Only a few stay behind long enough to write down what she said before dashing out like the other students. Azalea takes her stuff, shoving them into her bag before fixing her jacket over her shoulders. She speed walks out of the class before the professor has a chance to get her.

Azalea was tired from lack of sleep and the sudden loss of appetite just made her even weaker. She just wants to go to her dorm, take her pills, and sleep for the next three days.

"Hey, you okay? You have been spacing out for a while now." The question comes from no other than her senior, Elyon Vatrias behind her. He takes the same Religion class as Azalea. A good kid, sporty, a bit shy but gets along with pretty much everyone. She had no reason to hate him or be wary of him. Elyon is being nice for asking but she always thought there was something off of him, still, that doesn't mean she has to be rude.

"Ah, Elyon. I'm okay, I just didn't sleep well last night," Azalea tried to keep the conversation minimal, wanting to cut it short as soon as possible. Elyon didn't get the clue when she started to walk faster, the boy just following along in her direction.

"Oh is it the midterms? Have you been studying for it? You seem pretty smart so I'm sure you'll pass." He smiles a glowy bunny-like grin that shows his pearly whites and eyes squinting as well. It was cute, contagious as Azalea smiles as well, giggling along to what he said.

"Ah! um, thank you! But I would be worried more about you, senior! You have been missing a lot of classes and Professor Cheng will take points off if you don't complete your assignments," Azalea replied, letting her guard drop around him. She never really spoke much with Elyon before, being a relatively new student and quickly falling into a social group different from hers but she doesn't mind making new friends.

Elyon's face drops, eyes going wide and mouth parting a bit to form a small 'o'. It was almost cartoonish and she felt bad for calling it out. "You noticed? I mean it's not like I do it on purpose!" He tried to defend himself, visibly turning a shade of pink for being called out. "I'm so behind my assignments. I feel like Professor Cheng is going to kill me." Elyon looks genuinely upset about not passing the class. Of course, Azalea has to say something.

One could say she's just always helpful and friendly, while others can argue she's sort of a pushover.

"I can help!" Azalea admits, instantly regretting her decision as she forces a smile. She already had a lot on her plate, helping the theater kids with the new play, going over to the church and helping the nuns with sorting clothes to donate, extracurriculars, study, Doctor's appointment—

"We can go over any missing material over the weekend. Unless you're planning on going home, then we can push it to Wednesday—"

"Is okay! I have my own place around here so I'm probably going to stay on campus as well. We can meet up Friday at twelve here," Elyon chimed with glee, visibly content with getting a helping hand and Yn just couldn't say no when he's being so grateful. "Give me your number so we can contact each other." Elyon already has his phone out, she is taking her phone from her jacket pocket and handing it over only to wince when his fingertips brush against her hand. She feels a hard throb on her head like someone just electrocuted her.

"Hey, are you okay?" Elyon asks, going over to hold her shoulder and another throb, hard enough to knock her off balance hits her. Then there is a voice.

[Careful.]

[Azalea, careful. Be wary of them.]

She snaps her head up watching the curious look of her classmates on her, lips tights and eyes scanning her expression and neither can decipher each other. Elyon's eyes are light brown, like dripping honey swirling around the iris but for a moment, just a moment, she saw a glowy golden hue shine. It's gone in a blink and Azalea swears it wasn't real.

She manages to pull away, taking her phone once his information is inside and making a distance from Elyon as she hugs herself. "S-so sorry! It's just my headaches. I… I'll text you when I get home," she assures him with a bright grin, forcing herself to look as happy as ever even when the whole day feels like a rainy day and thunder.

And to her luck, it started to thunder loudly. The clouds were already looking pretty grey when she woke up but it was slowly starting to fit her mood.

"Are you sure you're okay? I can take you home, I just need to take my car and we can go." Elyon is kind enough to offer but Azalea has already bothered him a lot with almost fainting. She takes another step backward, shaking her head and smiling while telling him she's better now. The last step is the definitive, turning around with a wave and continuing her route alone.

[Him.]

[He's one of them.]

Them, them, them. She hears it often in her nightmares and now awake but she doesn't know what it means but the voice, her voice, knows and it vexes her not knowing. It was saying it loud and clear when she was with Elyon, especially when he touched her. Electrifying yet warm and calm. It felt like being struck by lightning and soothing like cold rain after a hot day. Speaking of rain, Azalea was getting soaked to the bone. Within her ten-minute commute from campus to the dorm, the serene droplets of water falling from the grey clouds turned to a heavy downpour, soaking her within a minute. If she had agreed to go with Elyon this wouldn't have happened, then yet again, she shouldn't be in a stranger's car even if it's her classmate, right?

The thought is put aside when she makes it home, a warm welcome of the warm temperature contrasted with her cold and wet figure. Taking her sneakers off and putting them to dry, Azalea continued to undress until reaching a corner to her bedroom. She decided to take advantage of her solitude and turn on the radio, tuning it to her phone and blasting music through the speaker. Today was not her day but she can still make it her evening.

Dried and changed, she is jumping around the room, unaware of the eyes, unaware of the blade, unaware of the long beautiful feathers that litter her floor, especially the open window and the handprint made of gold on the fire exit.

"Wow…you really are an airhead."

[It's him.]

Him? Azalea turns the instant she hears someone in the room, but she doesn't expect what she sees. "What?" she stares in utter disbelief, eyes going wide only to the white velvety feathers to take her attention. Then the icy glare in his silver eyes. And finally the blade, the same one seen in historical paintings used by heavenly warriors like Michael the Archangel.

"Caught got your tongue, love? No worries! Is better if you don't speak anyway," the man, if she can even call him human, is a lot more cheeky and assertive than she thought. The smirk feels familiar and while Azalea stares, still like a stone in place. The angel raises his sword to strike, one swing is all it would take to kill her. One heartbeat, one moment.

"No no no no no no no! Wait!" Azalea brings her hand up to stop the swords as it descends, it doesn't hit her, as far as she's aware. Everything just goes white and Azalea wakes up screaming, tucked in bed, and the room dark and empty.

She's sweaty, heart thumping loudly in her ears and her hand shivers and she raises the to gold dust in her palms. Azalea looks around, hiccuping as fear creeps up on her.

The room was littered with white feathers and gold dust, looking like someone throw a glitter grenade and threw a dove against a fan.

"What the fuck."

"That was so vivid."

"And why the hell it looked like Elyon from my Religions class?!"