Sacrificial Lamb (The Other Angels Book 1)

by Ashley Nicole

  I allow myself to think about Cassie. My chest aches knowing she’s being manipulated like I was. She already has self-doubt and fear of being unwanted. If the angels amplified those… I was supposed to call her back. The night I killed myself, she needed me. Did she think I abandoned her?

  And Marie, does she blame herself for my death since she left our room when Matthew showed up? And the guys at the shop, do they think if they didn’t let me walk home alone things would be different? What about my parents? My death probably crushed them.

  How did Scotty take my death? First, he found out I was cheating on him, then I took the easy way out and killed myself. No wonder he’s keeping his emotional distance from me. I probably seem psychotic even though it all wasn’t my fault.

  But I did kill myself, nonetheless. I thought I was taking control of my life, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. That moment was a complete loss of control. I let the angels win, but I won’t let it happen again I’ll save Cassie and all those others targeted by the angels.

  After what feels like a couple of hours of dead silence I stand and stretch my stiff body.

  “Katie, sit down!” Scotty hisses.

  “Scotty, there’s no angels around. I’m going to go get a cup of hot tea, would you like one?”

  He looks at me exasperated. “What’s the point? We don’t need to eat or drink anymore. We’re dead.”

  “I want it because it’s warm and comforting, unlike how this situation makes me feel. I know you’re worried about Amanda, but I also know you’re afraid of interaction with me because of what happened with Matthew. I’m trying to bring a piece of familiarity to us so maybe we can reform our relationship. A cup of tea isn’t going to ruin our stakeout. “I bite my lip. I don’t regret what I said but I’m afraid confronting him will hurt and the angel’s anger will slip through.

  Instead of a scowl his face softens. “You’re right, Katie. I’m sorry. I guess I’m just stressed and worried about saving you and Amanda and everyone else here in this hellhole. I didn’t mean to make it feel like I’m pushing you away. Yes, I’d like a cup of tea, four sugars as always.”

  I nod and head to the café on the other side of the meadow. I know things are tense right now, but I also know things will get better. If we stick together Scotty and I can get through this.

  As the person behind the counter hands me my teas, Michael strolls by with his arm around a handcuffed Amanda. Neither of them pay me any mind. I follow behind casually and pick up on their conversation.

  “Doesn’t it make you look suspicious leading a prisoner around?” Amanda asks in her ever-growing familiar defiant tone.

  “In this trance state they’re in, they perceive us as nothing more than an angel and human taking a stroll on this beautiful day. The concepts of evil and suspicion don’t register in their foggy little minds.” Michael shrugs. As we near the gate I veer off toward the bench where Scotty is pretending to be looking out over the water. I hand him his tea and I sip mine in silence while keeping my attention on Amanda and Michael.

  “So, you’re implying you’re evil?” Amanda smiles darkly.

  “If that’s how you wish to view me then so be it, but as soon as you pass through the gate it won’t matter what you’re thinking right now.” With Michael’s words Amanda’s smile dissolves into a scowl. I give Scotty a sidelong look. His grip on his cup is white knuckled tight, but he doesn’t make a move to take a drink.

  “Is that supposed to sound menacing? Anyways you can forget about me passing through the gate because I refuse.” Amanda thrusts her chin and delivers a cold glare at Michael. I have to admit, attitude or not, I admire her boldness and bravery to stand her ground in the face of danger.

  Michael gives her a dark smile. “Would you like me to take those handcuffs off? I’m sure they’re not very comfortable.”

  Amanda looks momentarily taken aback but then narrows her eyes at Michael. “Uh, sure.” She inches toward him and turns her back. I know she has to be pushed through the gate to throw Michael off our trail, but I still have to work hard to suppress the warning for her to run away that’s climbing up my throat.

  As soon as Michael unlocks the handcuffs, he shoves Amanda through the gate a little more roughly than he needs to. She lands on her hands and knees and an unnatural happy smile spreads across her face.

  Michael is quick to help her to her feet. “Are you alright? I know the ride here can be a bit bumpy.”

  Amanda stands and looks around in a daze. “Where am I? Who are you? What happened?”

  Michael holds up a hand to silence her. “My name is Michael, and this is the Kingdom. Your time on Earth has come to a close so this is where you now live.”

  Amanda looks as if she’s thinking about it but then scrunches her eyes shut and puts a hand to her head. “I don’t remember dying.”

  “It was a tragic death, so we have erased the memory to allow you to live peacefully here.”

  “Oh, okay.” She looks around the meadow with wide eyes, taking in the beautiful scenery.

  “Now, I have some other duties to attend to, but if you need anything don’t hesitate to ask me or any other angel around.”

  “Thank you.” Amanda smiles again as Michael stalks away, no doubt headed back to his mansion to plan the next death.

  As soon as he is out of sight, Scotty jumps up, dropping his untouched cup of tea, and rushes over to Amanda’s side. I watch the tea darken the dirt, my heart sinks with the liquid.

  “Hi, Amanda, I’m Scott.” I hear him say as I catch up.

  “Uh, hi.” She shies away from Scotty. This isn’t right. I was just in awe by her bravery and now she’s like a scared little girl.

  “I want to be your friend. My other friend, Kathryn, and I were getting ready to go to her house for a snack when we saw you arrive. Would you like to join us?”

  Friend? I frown at the word choice. Maybe he doesn’t want her to feel like a third wheel?

  She smiles, warming up to us. “Sure.”

  We all three begin to walk back to my house. How long will Scotty put this invisible barrier between us? Maybe when we stop the angels and Matthew is no longer around things will be easier. Suddenly, a question pulses through my mind. If the angels caused me to kill myself and that’s what they’re doing to others, does that mean Scotty killed himself? If so, why? What drove him to do it? Was it my death? Is he someone else I affected so deeply? Maybe we can talk about it later. I can’t fix what my death did to those on Earth, but maybe I can fix us.

  Once at my door I turn to Amanda. “I should warn you I have quite a few animals.”

  “Sounds fun!” Her dark almond eyes sparkle.

  I open the door and am greeted by a collection of critters. Amanda sits on my couch and plays with one of the dogs while Scotty and I hurry into the kitchen. At some point the angels must have used their magic to fix my window because it’s in one piece again and the glass shards are gone.

  “How are we going to keep her here until she falls asleep?” Scotty sits at my table, drumming his fingers, while deep in thought.

  “I don’t know. I could ask her to stay for a sleepover. She seems very compliant in this state. Why does she have to stay anyways?” I don’t ask out of anger but rather curiosity.

  “We need to start planning as soon as she wakes up, but we can’t risk the angels seeing her come here in the morning. That would look suspicious. And I was thinking more along the lines of this.” Scotty closes his eyes and furrows his brow in concentration as he conjures the image of what he wants.

  Almost instantly there is a knock at the door and Scotty disappears from the kitchen to answer it. When he returns, he is twisting open the newly arrived bottle of sleeping pills. “Pour a glass of milk and get some cookies.”

  I do as he says, fumbling around in the cabinets for a glass and plate. As soon as I place them on the table, Scotty adds a bunch of crushed up pills to the milk. I know we’re dead and can’t technically overdos
e, but does he need to add so many? And why are sleeping pills an option to conjure if we don’t have to sleep? Is it just to make the afterlife feel as normal as life?

  We walk into the living room and sit the food and drink in front of Amanda. “This looks great!” She dunks a cookie into the milk, eats it, and then chases it down with a long drink. “Your milk tastes a little funny though.” After a few more dunks and swallows her eyelids begin to droop, and she begins to sway.

  “It’ll be alright when you wake up.” Scotty smiles and catches her as she slumps over. He lifts her and carries her to my bed.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  Scotty and I stay up all night sitting on my couch in front of the fireplace. The flames cause flickers of orange to bounce on Scotty’s skin. Outside, the Kingdom is quiet and dipped in darkness. When you don't have to sleep, why do it? We don’t say anything for a long time. It’s not an awkward silence but it's not a comfortable one either. Both of us know we have things to say, it’s just a matter of knowing how to start that conversation.

  As the hours drag by, he begins twisting his ring around his finger, an anxious habit that I've picked up on recently. My animals curl up in their beds, and drift off to sleep, oblivious to anything being wrong. I wonder what life they had on Earth?

  Scotty lays his hand on his lap. Without thinking I reach for it, startling him out of his thoughts. His head snaps around to look at me, then at our hands, then back at me. I drop my gaze wondering if I should move my hand.

  He hooks one of his fingers under my chin, forcing my eyes to meet his crystal blue ones. "Katie..." His tone implies he has more to say but instead of forming words his lips meet mine. He kisses me softly but behind it there is so much emotion. It’s almost like I can feel his heart breaking and mending in a constant cycle. He breaks the kiss and leans his forehead against mine. "I'm so sorry for everything."

  I don't know how to respond. Inside, I feel selfish that he's upset because of me but at the same time I'm relieved that at least he's aware of how I'm feeling. I crawl onto his lap and wrap my arms around his neck. This is my Scotty. We’re going to be okay.

  His arms lock around my waist. I breathe in deep. I've missed feeling like this. I've missed him. The only thing missing is his heartbeat against mine. “It’s weird being dead,” I mumble against his neck.

  “We wouldn’t be dead if it wasn’t for me.”

  I shake my head. “It wasn’t just you. With losing my scholarships and my job, losing you was too much on top. Plus, you said Matthew was manipulating me and making me feel worse than I should have.”

  “You lost your job? I’m so sorry, Katie.” Scotty moves his head to look at me. “What about the cuts on your arm? I saw them the first day I arrived here.”

  I freeze. I had almost forgotten about the self-harm hole I had fallen into. How much of my actions were my own and how many were angel induced? Will I ever know?

  Scotty must take my silence as embarrassment. He wraps his arms around me tighter. “It’s okay, Katie. You don’t have to talk about it right now.”

  I try to believe that all my mistakes are in the past. Dead like us. I crane my neck to give him another kiss, feeling anxious for his closeness. I catch a glance out the window behind him. Dawn pushes the first traces of sunlight over the horizon.

  "Ahem." Scotty and I look up to find Amanda leaning against the door frame from the bedroom with her arms crossed. "Glad to see you guys are having a good time without me."

  Scotty quickly slides me off his lap and goes to Amanda. He reaches for her as if to give her a hug, but she steps away from him. "Whoa! Back off! You drugged me!"

  "Amanda, calm down. You know I only did that so you would go to sleep and wake up with your memories sooner."

  "I couldn't have slept at my house?" Her face flushes red.

  "Well..." Scotty looks down at the floor and rubs one hand up and down his other arm nervously. "I wasn't sure if you would actually come back."

  "You are so... No, never mind, not the point. Do you really think those things aren't going to come check up on me? If they find me here, they will definitely know something is up with all of us. You clearly didn't think this through, Lover Boy." Amanda starts walking to the door.

  "I'm coming with you. If they figure you out, I will not let them take you again." Scotty follows her to the door. I sit quietly and watch, something I do very well.

  "If they catch you two at my house it'd be the same deal as here. We'd all be busted."

  "Katie is going to stay here and I'll hide if the angels show up at your house."

  "We are not splitting up!" I jump up from the couch unable to stay quiet any longer. Both Scotty and Amanda look at me as if they had forgotten I was here. "Amanda, Scotty and I will go with you. We will hide if any angels come but we need to stay together and make a plan. The killing and brainwashing needs to end now."

  Scotty doesn't say anything even though he looks like he wants to. Amanda cuts him off before he does. "You know, normally I don't like being told what to do, but your determination is kinda contagious. That, and the fact that you shut Lover Boy up is impressive." Amanda smiles at me and turns back to the door. "Let's get out of here."

  She opens the door and cautiously scans the outside. Once she slips out onto the porch we follow closely behind. We file down one street then another, always watching over our shoulders for angels. We don't say anything trying not to bring any attention to ourselves. The day is still early so there’s only a couple other people out walking.

  We arrive to Amanda's unnoticed. When she opens the door, my head takes a second to wrap around the rustic interior design. I think I feel my jaw literally dropping. Amanda's voice breaks through my wonder." What do you think, Katie?" She stands in the middle of the room and holds both arms out from her sides.

  "It’s like I stepped from outside into outside. I feel like I'm in the woods. I mean really there." I take a tentative step on the crunchy carpeted floor, marveling at the realism of the sound.

  “The outdoors has always been a sort of home to me. If I had a house on Earth, I think this is what it would look like."

  Scotty takes a seat on the couch and Amanda sits in a recliner opposite of him. I stand awkwardly until Amanda looks at me again. "What's wrong?"

  "Nothing. I mean, well, you two have learned more about the angels and this place when you were trying to wake me up so maybe you'd be better at the planning and I could make some lunch?"

  Amanda tilts her head to one side, reminding me of a dog. "You know we don't have to eat right?"

  "I know. But doing something normal makes me feel better."

  She gives a quirky smile then leans back in her chair. "Well I won't complain, I never say no to food. If you and Lover Boy don't work out, you can move in with me if you're a good cook."

  Despite my unease with everything, I catch myself smiling. I walk into the kitchen and begin rummaging through the refrigerator and cabinets for something to fix. I find spaghetti noodles and pasta sauce in the cabinet and garlic bread in the freezer. Sounds good to me even if it is a little early. The concept of time of day doesn’t really exist here no matter how hard the angels try to simulate it. Plus, Amanda must like it if it’s here.

  I dump the sauce into a pot and put it on the stove on low heat then look around for some spices. The spice rack is next to the door leading to the living room. While I pick through them, I listen in to see what Scotty and Amanda have come up with so far.

  "Well there's definitely more of us than of the angels from what I can tell, but there’s more angels than there are of us who can remember. I don't think we have much of a chance at pulling off anything like a fight because we're outnumbered." Scotty leans forward.

  "Okay, how do you propose we wake up more people? Don't tell me you know everyone up here as intimately as you know Katie?"

  "Well no, but there has to be a reverse switch to their memories." Scotty sits back again.

  I go back to
my sauce and stir in some spices. I wonder if we really can wake up everyone else here? No one deserves to have their memories stolen.

  I put another pot on the stove full of water to boil for the noodles and lay the garlic bread out on a cookie sheet while the oven preheats. I wonder if there's something about the gate that could bring the memories back? Since passing through the gate causes you to lose your memories, what would happen if you went through it again and your memories were already lost? Do your memories come back? Or do they become double lost? Can you double lose your memories?

  I dump the noodles in the boiling water and slide the tray of bread into the oven. Maybe Scotty and Amanda have figured it out by now. I start walking to the living room, but something stops me at the doorway.

  Amanda is now sitting on the couch with Scotty. Not closely, but I wonder why she moved. She's looking at her hands while Scotty watches her face. For the first time since I met her, other than after she passed through the gate, she looks like a little kid.

  "So, after they died, I was put into a foster home. Between the alcoholic father and the workaholic mother I might as well have lived on my own. Well almost. They had this other boy they adopted, Cory. He was older than me so at first, he thought I was just some stupid kid. I didn't talk to him and he didn't talk to me. But then one day, Mr. father of the year stumbles into my room and starts screaming at me for taking his whiskey."

  "Why would he blame you?" Scotty's voice is soft.

  "Well I did take it, but he didn't need to yell." Amanda smirks then looks straight ahead unfocused like she's lost in thought. She doesn't move even when she starts talking again. "I told him I didn't have it, but even if I did, he didn't need it. I also told him he was a terrible father and didn't deserve his hardworking wife just to use all her money to live in his drunken stupor. He came into the room and backhanded me so hard I went flying backwards."

  "That's abuse! The foster system can't give kids to someone like that!"

  "The foster system is a joke!" Amanda whips her head around and glares at Scotty.