Ascend (Celestial Academy Book 1)

by Maya Nicole

  Still at the window, my eyes were drawn to the football field in the distance where a group of angels were playing what looked like football but while flying through the air. I had never seen an angel all angelic like, with wings out. From my room they looked like giant winged birds.

  I had asked Lucifer once if I could see his wings, but he refused. I wasn't even sure he still had wings. My knowledge of angels was limited to what I could get out of my father, which wasn't much.

  My knowledge of demons was top notch. All of the time I spent grounded was spent reading books Lucifer provided.

  I turned back to the binder, ignoring the rest of the sections that probably would have answered all my questions and pulled the campus map out. The campus itself was sprawling, but most of my classes were in a center building aptly named Uriel Hall.

  My stomach growled as I located the dining hall on the map. I tucked the map and my phone in the back pocket of my jeans before throwing on my black leather jacket and heading out the door. There were no signs of any staff members as I made my way out of the building.

  The pathways weaving their way between buildings and around large grassy areas reminded me of old college campuses I had searched up on the internet. Despite my low GPA and nonexistent college plans, I still perused the websites since college was all Ava talked about.

  This campus seemed out of place here in the mountains, hidden by magic I didn't yet understand. The brick building the dining hall and administrative offices were housed in loomed ahead of me. Five stories of aged brick and large windows rose into the sky with an angel statute perched at the top. I assumed it was Ariel, since the building was Ariel Hall. I bet they didn't have a Lucifer Hall here.

  As I approached, the delicious aromas of food filled my nose. I could really go for a cheeseburger and Diet Dr. Pepper. I hoped angel food was no different than what humans ate. If they ate twigs and berries I was probably going to exist on cereal and frozen food. My room did have a kitchenette, but I could basically only cook ramen, and even then I managed to mess it up somehow.

  I was almost to the small set of stone steps leading into the building when a group of seven angels landed in front of me by the door. I stopped in my tracks and stared slack-jawed at their expansive white wings. They spanned five or six feet on each side of their torsos. Somehow they managed not to bump into each other. One of the boys had wings that almost appeared silver in the fading light of the evening. They folded them back behind themselves and they seemed to disappear as I blinked.

  I was considering how to get around their group as some of the boys pushed and shoved each other, when one of the girls in the group gasped as she made eye contact with me. She nudged the girl next to her and they started whispering in a completely obvious way. The five boys they were with continued to rough house and throw a football around as the two girls walked towards me.

  Maybe they wouldn't know who I was. Who was I kidding? They knew exactly who I was. Every student on this campus probably knew Lucifer's flesh and blood was going to be attending. Maybe they had even gotten a warning notice to be on high alert.

  "You must be the new girl we've heard so much about. I'm Delilah and this is Abby." A tall blond introduced herself and the other girl but neither made any move to get closer than a few feet away from me.

  Both girls were gorgeous and had glowing skin and hair that looked like it belonged in a shampoo commercial. They held themselves like their shit didn't stink and appraised me by giving me the once over.

  I smiled, my face feeling tight under the forced movement. "Danica. Are you all first years?"

  Abby looked me up and down with raised eyebrows and pursed lips. "She looks normal. I was expecting her to be scary."

  The girls laughed and I went to move around them to find the path blocked by the five male angels that had finally realized what was going on. Great, more attention.

  "Well, what's this? The antichrist in the flesh!" One of the angels sneered and crossed his arms over his chest.

  My fake smile quickly faded as I stared at the five male angels in front of me. They were all striking, and stood stoically with matching frowns on their faces.

  "Can you move, please?" I really wanted to lash out at their commentary, but had to be better than that. They were expecting me to do something. Typically I would, but that was how I got into this whole situation in the first place.

  "Or what? You'll unleash your demons to make us?" They all laughed like it was the funniest thing in the world.

  I shrugged, deciding my words weren't worth wasting on them, and walked onto the grass to get around them. Their laughter faded as I entered into the dining commons. Heads immediately turned to check out where the laughter had come from in the brief moment the door had been opened.

  I made my way to the food line that was similar to the dining commons I had seen on a field trip to UC Santa Barbara. A field trip that was wasted on me since I was not college material. I piled my plate with food and filled a cup with Diet Dr. Pepper before scanning the room for a place to sit.

  I decided to sit in the corner at the end of a long table that was already occupied at one end. Right as I was about to sit down, a girl grabbed my arm, causing some of my drink to slosh out of the side of my cup.

  "Don't sit there. The Divine 7 sit there. Come sit with us." She gestured to a round table somewhat in the middle of the room.

  I stifled a groan. Middle of the room meant center of attention, which I already seemed to be. Eyes followed me as I walked and several students rose a little, trying to look at what was on my tray. What did they think I ate? I guess I couldn't blame them since I had the same question about them.

  Once I sat down, I let out a sigh of relief and took a drink. Three sets of curious eyes watched me as I slowly put my cup back down.

  "I'm Danica. Thanks for saving me?" I didn't mean for it to come out as a question but based on my warm reception at this school so far, I wasn't sure what this group’s motives were.

  "Oh, we saved you all right. I'm Brooklyn, by the way. Class III," the girl who had invited me to the table said.

  "Ethan, Class II."

  "Cora, Class II."

  "What do you mean by class? Your year?" I took a bite of the pasta with chicken I had picked. It was surprisingly good, for you know, angel food.

  "Class just specifies how we came to be angels. Class I are created by The Man himself, Class II died before they were age twelve, Class III died after twelve and are deemed pure enough to serve," Ethan explained. "Did your advisor not tell you what Class you were?"

  "No." I spun my fork around my noodles, creating a very impressive bite that was almost picture worthy. "I think he was scared of me so I didn't get too many details about things here."

  My three eating companions all looked at each other before going back to their own dinners. My shoulders were just starting to relax when the group from outside started to file past with their food.

  "It eats real food! Holy shit, man." One of the guys nudged the guy next to him and they both stared openly as I took a bite.

  I narrowed my eyes slightly and then started chewing my food with my mouth open. If they wanted to stare, I'd at least give them something to look at. Cora laughed as the two boys took off towards the back corner with disgust on their faces. I watched as all seven of the group from outside sat where I had first tried to sit. That was a close call.

  "Why are they called the Divine 7? They don't seem very divine." I put my fork down and took a bite out of the chocolate chip cookie I had grabbed for dessert. It seemed like a good time to have my cookie after enduring their bullshit.

  "They call themselves the Divine 7 because they have the highest divinity rankings. Of course, that doesn't really take into consideration how shitty they might act on the sly. The two girls are the worst. Oliver and Levi aren't that horrible, but they also don't put a stop to anything. Oliver is the only Class I angel at any of the academies. We’re still trying to figure out w
hy he's here. They renumbered the class system this year since he is the first since the original archangels." Brooklyn looked over her shoulder at the table. "Oliver is the one examining his bread, and Levi is next to him."

  I glanced briefly in that direction and Levi was staring at me, which he quickly tried to hide by looking away. Oliver really was examining his bread, which he sniffed before taking a bite. It wasn't a normal look and sniff, like a regular person might do. It was as if he had never seen it before in his life. I tilted my head slightly, trying to figure that one out.

  "Can I ask you a question?" Ethan looked directly at me and was immediately nudged in the side by Brooklyn who then gave him a very annoyed look. I appreciated that at least Brooklyn seemed to somewhat understand what I was going through.

  "Sure. I don't mind questions from people who are nice to me." I finished the last bite of my cookie and braced myself for the questions I knew were going to come. I didn't mind as long as they were in good faith.

  Ethan leaned forward on his forearms so our conversation couldn't be heard at the other tables. I had no clue if angels had supersonic hearing. I guess I also had a lot of questions to ask them.

  "Did you actually like, live in hell?" I barely caught his question over the noise in the dining room. At least he was being discreet.

  I couldn't help it, I laughed. "No I didn't. I went for maybe five minutes once before getting violently ill. I'm half human. I assume I'd get just as sick going to heaven."

  Cora let out a relieved breath and Brooklyn just stared at me. If eyes could actually bug out of heads, Ethan's would have.

  "So you lived with your mom, who's... human?"

  "My mom died during childbirth so my dad hired caregivers. I lived right outside of Santa Barbara in Montecito my entire life."

  "So you don't actually see... him?" Ethan was elbowed again by Brooklyn.

  "He's not like Voldemort. You can say Lucifer and he won't suddenly appear and torture you." I laughed. The table next to us looked over at the mention of Lucifer's name. I hadn't spoken quietly enough. I lowered my voice enough so that only the three across from me could hear. "He comes for dinner once a week and we text and FaceTime all the time."

  "Cell phones work in hell?" Cora had been quiet up until now. She seemed to be processing everything I had said.

  I nodded. I used to wonder about how technology worked in another plane of existence. My dad told me it was magic. I wasn't entirely sure that explanation was accurate, but honestly, I don't think I wanted to know how the internet and cell service worked there.

  Brooklyn changed the topic of conversation after that and we discussed our class schedules. I had two classes with her, one with Cora, and one with Ethan. I also learned that I'd only have to deal with Oliver and Levi in classes because the other five were second or third-year students with different classes. I left the dining room feeling hopeful that maybe this new school wouldn't be so bad after all.

  Chapter Three

  I woke up to the sounds of birds chirping somewhere outside my cracked-open window. It was the beginning of February, so it was a little chilly, but not having a window open made me feel claustrophobic. Plus, I liked piling the blankets on. It made me feel cozy and relaxed.

  I went to the generously sized closet and looked longingly at the clothes I used to wear to school. Jeans, T-shirts, hoodies. Instead of having freedom of choice here at the lovely Academy of Asshole Angels, I had to wear a uniform. It was so cliché I wanted to vomit.

  I pulled a uniform out and threw it on the bed before going to my box of underwear and bras I had yet to put in a drawer. I wanted to Marie Kondo the shit out of my drawers, but hadn't gotten around to it yet. What I was sure of was that every piece of lingerie I owned sparked joy within me and would not be going anywhere.

  I dumped the box and found a matching set of red lace boy shorts and a bra. I considered putting the pile back in the box, but it really was my best intention to organize and fold them later. After putting them on, I eyed the uniform laying haphazardly across the bed. Thick white wool skirt with silver and navy-blue trim, white button up, blue blazer with silver crest on breast pocket.

  First off, a man must have decided on a white skirt. I'd have to strongly consider getting a pair of those period panties as an extra precaution. Secondly, it looked like something a captain of a yacht might wear. I was experiencing serious FML in that moment, but at least the uniform was thick enough that I didn't have to wear boring undergarments.

  I let out a curse as I picked up the shirt and jacket, realizing the back had two slits with about an inch of overlapping fabric, no doubt for angel wings to pop through. After putting on the sailor attire, I grabbed a Diet Dr. Pepper and a granola bar. One of the perks of being in the teacher building was a small kitchenette which had a half-sized fridge, sink, and two electric burners. Not that I'd use it much, but who knows, maybe I'd give cooking a shot.

  I popped the top on my soda and took a long gulp as I went into the bathroom. Yes, I had an addiction to Diet Dr. Pepper. Some people liked their coffee, I liked my red and white can of crisp goodness.

  I brushed out my brown hair and pulled it back into a loose ponytail at the base of my neck before putting on my makeup. I toned it back much more than usual, skipping the black eyeliner and fake eyelashes.

  I grabbed my bag and was out the door with plenty of time to spare. I had to walk to class, unlike my winged peers, although I noticed a lot were walking as I approached Uriel Hall.

  This was going to be tough. I was not only starting midyear, having missed the entire first semester, but three weeks of the current semester had already passed. Not going to lie, school was tough for me. It would have taken a miracle for me to graduate with Ds and Cs had I not been expelled. Most likely I would have been retaking a few classes in summer school.

  It's not that I didn't want to do well in school, but I found it hard to concentrate. In high school, the teachers didn't seem to care. There were meetings. There was testing. They never blamed me, but medicine wasn't an option because it didn't work. Different seating didn't work. Videos and audio recordings of the class didn't work. The only thing that helped, even if just a little, was marijuana. Too bad it was still illegal for my age in California. Not that it had stopped me from getting my hands on any before, but then again that had led to me being scouted by a drug conglomerate.

  I entered the building and made my way up two flights of stairs to room 306. Introduction to Demonology. I was actually excited, it being in my wheelhouse and all. Having some prior knowledge on the subject made me feel a little more confident as I pulled open the door.

  Once inside the classroom I was immediately disappointed there were tables with two chairs at each. I hated partners. Well, really they hated me. It was a fairly large classroom with multiple tiers of tables curving in a crescent shape, much like a typical university. I looked to the front of the room and in the corner behind the teacher's desk sat Tobias Armstrong. Great. I was sure this class wouldn't be biased at all.

  I walked over to the desk and stood by it while he typed something on his laptop. I cleared my throat and he looked up. His expression was hard to read. The day before he had recoiled and been annoyed with my presence, it seemed. Now, he had his teacher face on.

  "Is there assigned seating?" Because God forbid I sit in someone's seat and taint it with my evil.

  "Good morning, Danica." He went back to typing on his computer.

  Yeah, maybe I should have greeted him. My elementary teachers always used to make us greet each other daily, but this wasn't elementary school anymore. Why did I need to say good morning to someone that looked at me like I was a piece of dog shit on the bottom of his shoe?

  "Why don't you take a seat in the front row." He stopped typing and handed me a small stack with a book and folder.

  I grabbed it from him rather roughly and sat off to the side, near the wall. I flipped through the book first. It was a run of the mill text book. W
as there ever a class that didn't use a textbook? The teacher's job was to teach not force me to read chapters from an overly wordy book.

  I flipped open the folder and found several pages of notes dated over the last three weeks. There was also a syllabus and list of assignments. Two had a line drawn through them with 'excused' written next to them. Thank goodness for small miracles. If I had to make up three weeks’ worth of reading and assignments I'd lose it. Or I just wouldn't do it.

  I took my spiral notebook and my pouch of Flair pens out of my bag and flipped the notebook open. I started at the corner of the page and started drawing a vine around the perimeter. Class must have started while I was doodling because the next thing I knew, Mr. Armstrong was tapping on the table in front of me. I looked up and met his gaze with raised eyebrows.

  "You might want to take notes, Ms. Deville." I hated when teachers used students’ last names.

  I heard a few sniggers from behind me at the mention of my last name and watched as Mr. Armstrong narrowed his eyes in their direction before walking back to the center of the room. He smoothed down the front of his blue dress shirt and cleared his throat.

  "In your reading last week, you should have read about Corpus Unguis demons. Who can tell me what physical features this demon has?" Mr. Armstrong went back to his desk and labeled a diagram that was being projected on the front board with the words 'physical features'.

  I quickly flipped to the index of the book he had given me and found the page the Corpus Unguis demon was on. Skimming the page, I sighed. There were so many details that were incorrect or just flat out missing. That particular demon was complex and having half a page devoted to it was like having only a chapter about the Civil War in a history textbook. The angels' version of demon history was watered down just like a typical high school textbook.

  A student near the middle of the room was called on and I turned slightly in my seat. Several sets of eyes stared back at me as I glanced around the room. None of my new friends were in this class. I did spot Oliver but quickly turned around before he could notice I had looked his way.