Hillcrest Academy

by Cassie Pierce

  Spawn of hell? Who is that?

  It is Ryker’s raspy whisper that answers my unasked question.

  “Cut him some slack Braxton. We all know that mother kept the truth from her for a reason. The girl passed out. Jax....he improvised. Honestly bro. I’m a little impressed. I didn’t know you were capable of being such a good liar. That is usually my department.”

  Ryker...a liar? That wasn’t the vibe that I got from him last night at all, but then again. If he is a good liar, I wouldn’t have....would I? I file that thought away for another time, instead trying my best to take in their conversation.

  “Screw you Ry. I am not a liar. I just told a lie. There is a difference. Besides, I had to tell Ms. Appleton something. She walked into the office and found me holding an un-conscious girl. I knew she would tell the step-monster. We all know that I couldn’t let her. I used my powers....so what. She won’t remember. I had no choice.”

  Powers? What is he talking about? That strange light that I saw pour out of him earlier?

  “NO,” Braxton cuts in, and even without knowing him, I can detect the disapproval in his tone. The disgust. “You chose to. There is a difference brother. Do not try to make yourself feel better. You broke the rules. Own it.”

  “Screw you Brax! It wasn’t a choice. I don’t have a choice when it comes to her. You know that,” he finishes softly. The bed beside me dips, and I almost stop breathing when a hand gently smooths the hair back from my face. I inhale sharply, before forcing myself to slowly let it out. I want to look. I want to look so bad, but I need to hear the rest, and I know they will not talk this freely in front of me. So, I stay still, trying my best to appear asleep.

  “Why is that brother?” Braxton questions, and I almost cry out when the hand that was touching me leaves my skin. I know without looking that it was Jaxon that was touching me. My body seems to be hyper aware of the broody Lux brother.

  The question is why. I hold my breath, praying that Jaxon’s next words will answer that question.

  “Oh.... stop your big brother bull shit Brax, and leave Jax alone. So... he used his angelic mind voodoo to make Ms. Appleton forget. Who cares?” Ryker cuts in, and despite my better judgement I have to look.

  Ang....angelic? Mind voodoo?

  I squint my eyes, barely able to make out the profile of each brother through the thin slits. They are sitting around a table, a box of Oreo’s between them. I almost laugh at how normal it seems. Especially when Ryker reaches down and dips his cookie into a glass of milk before popping it into his mouth. Ryker munches happily on his cookie, while Jaxon and Braxton exchange death glares.

  “I care asshole, and so should you! It is against the rules, and we all know what happens when we break the rules! Appleton isn’t human Ry! We are forbidden to use our powers on other angels, or did you forget? He could be stripped of his wings, and all over a stupid......”

  “Finish that sentence. I dare you,” Jaxon seethes as he pushes himself up from the table. The Oreos tumble to the floor in the process, and I almost cry out. From the look on Ryker’s face he feels the same.

  Wasting chocolate is just wrong! In any world!

  “You would defy your blood, for a half-breed. A girl that will never be part of any world, because she will never fully belong to either! You would defy me....your own brother, for her?” Braxton sounds confused, and truthfully, he isn’t the only one. I mean I like Jaxon, but I barely know him. It just doesn’t make sense.

  “I would give up my wings if it meant that she would be safe. You don’t get it Brax. She is the one,” he says with so much emotion that I have to see. I open my eyes fully, and sure enough his eyes are shining with emotions that transcend my understanding. He still hasn’t seen me, but something tells me he knows that I am awake. Hell....maybe he has known the entire time, and this was just his way of making me feel in control.

  “Wait....the one? The one?” Ryker asks around a mouth full of Oreos, and I almost laugh at him. His voice is slightly muffled, because angel or not, apparently it is still hard to talk with a mouth full of chocolatey goodness.

  Angel? How insane is that? This has to be a bad dream.

  “Impossible,” Braxton says, banging his fist angrily on the table. I flinch, and this time my eyes fly open as an involuntary gasp escapes me. There is something about Braxton that scares me. A cold viciousness that seeps into my skin.

  “Nothing is impossible brother, and like it or not Maci is my Moirai....my fate.” The way Jaxon says it with such pride and conviction, brings a smile to my face even though I have zero clue what a Moirai is. I sounds cool though, and I like the way he says it. He pronounces it like ( Moi-ruh), and the r rolls of his tongue easily making it sound sexy as hell.

  I can’t hold it in any longer, the question bursting out before I can think better of it.

  “What is a Moirai?” I blurt, and once it is out, three sets of eyes turn in my direction. One set looks amused, one pissed, and the other nervous. None of them look happy.

  They all stare at me for a moment before Ryker erupts into a fit of giggles. It takes a second, but Braxton does finally release a small chuckle. Jaxon doesn’t laugh.

  “Yes Jaxon. Tell our lovely guest exactly what a Moirai is. I can’t wait to hear this,” Braxton says, and for reasons I don’t understand his condescending tone pisses me off. I swallow my smart-ass remark, fully aware that it is not wise to piss off a super scary angel.

  Instead I do something that I rarely ever do. I stay silent. Seriously. I have like zero filter. My mouth is constantly getting me into trouble, but by some miracle I manage to bite my tongue. Maybe a part of me knows that whatever Jaxon says next will change everything.

  I use the rare quiet time to study my surroundings. A girl can never be too aware of her surroundings. You never know when something is going to try to kill you; especially here. I am thinking that nothing here is as it seems, and that everything here could probably eat me.

  Gah..... even admitting that to myself makes me feel bat-shit crazy. Angels.... Angels should only exist in the bible, or if I am being totally honest maybe a super steamy paranormal romance novel. They definitely should not be real.

  Walking.... talking... freaking glowing....sex gods with raspy voices and storm cloud eyes.

  Nope. Angels should not exist.

  A fact that I was pretty certain of until Jaxon Lux decided to change everything with his little light show in the principal’s office.

  It’s almost funny. How we can believe something our entire life, and one moment can change everything. How quickly years of certainty can turn to doubt. How nothing is absolute.

  “Well brother,” Braxton’s arrogant drawl cuts into my thoughts, pulling me back to reality. “Our guest is waiting on an answer. Please. Do tell her.”

  I take a deep breath, angry at Braxton for reasons that I don’t understand. All I know with absolute certainty is that I do not like the way that he is talking to Jaxon. Not...one...bit.

  I slowly pull myself into a sitting position, taking note that I am not on a bed like I originally thought but a huge ass couch. It’s soft beige cushions almost swallowing my small frame as I attempt to push myself to my feet. Ryker lets out a laugh at my pitiful attempt to extract myself from the oversized cushion. I throw an angry glare his way, blowing a piece of hair out of my face.

  It isn’t my fault that their couch is the size of a damned swimming pool. I open my mouth, no longer giving a shit about my be-nice-to-the-scary-angels-filter, but a hand appears in front of my face stopping whatever I was about to say. My eyes trace a path from the open hand, taking in the lean muscle of his tanned arm before finally stopping on his handsome face.

  Jaxon’s grey eyes churn with what looks a lot like reluctance as he reaches down and pulls me from the couch. He doesn’t ask permission to touch me, and even though I shouldn’t...something about that turns me on.

  I gasp as a soft heat ignites where he touches me. As quickly as it star
ts, it fades away. As soon as I am on my feet, he releases my hand. I frown as he practically jumps away from me.

  An action that only seems to amuse his brothers more, as their laughter increases. Jaxon opens his mouth like he wants to say something, but quickly snaps it shut. Like he wanted to say something, but thought better of it at the last second. He takes a deep breath, letting it out slowly before trying again. This time he finds his voice.

  “A Moirai is a.....ummmm.....well......”

  “Oh for shit sake brother. Just tell her!” Ryker says through his laughter. Walking up to Jaxon and throwing an arm over his shoulder. Jaxon cuts angry eyes in his direction, shrugging out of his hold, and taking a step closer to me.

  “A Moirai is just a term that my people use to describe someone that is important to us. Someone that was fated to cross our path. Someone that is a part of our destiny.”

  The way that Jaxon says it makes me think that a Moirai is way more important than what he is telling me. That there is something more that he doesn’t want me to know. Maybe it is the hint of uncertainty that vibrates in his tone, or perhaps it is the fact that for the first time since meeting Jaxon Lux he looks afraid.

  Behind him Ryker chokes back a laugh, and Braxton rolls his eyes before releasing a sarcastic chuckle of his own.

  “Bull....shit,” Ryker fake coughs into his fist as he stares Jaxon down. Jaxon turns an angry glare on his brother, clenching his fist tightly at his side as he darts in his direction. I have always heard that expression— if looks could kill— but I have never witnessed it...until now. The look that Jaxon is giving his brothers is the opposite of anything angelic.

  What does it say about me that I kind of think that it is hot?

  “LEAVE!!!!!” he booms as he raises his hand, advancing toward his brothers, who are no longer smiling.

  I watch with amusement. Boys and their pissing matches.....

  Except....

  That isn’t what happens. My amusement quickly turns to equal parts fear and amazement as the ground beneath my feet starts to tremble. All around me the house rattles so hard that the furniture starts to move. I sink down beside the oversized couch, covering my head. Panic seizes me as the floor beneath me begins to shake harder.

  I frown...for two reasons really. Reason number one, this is Alabama. I am talking the deep south. Tornado central. Yes. Earthquakes? Ummm....Hell no. Reason two, once again all of the yummy delicious chocolate cookies are on the floor.

  Wasting chocolate really should be a sin.

  Jaxon’s eyes flash an eerie gold as a wave of bright light explodes from his open palm, slamming into his brothers. They both wear matching looks of shock as the golden light wraps around them.

  The shaking picks up in intensity, and my teeth rattle inside of my skull from the force of it. I flinch as a picture falls from the wall, the sound of breaking glass pulling me back to the night that Ashlee died. My hands cover my ears as a tear makes a track down my cheek.

  I can feel heat coming from the light that pours from his open hands and I make no move to shield my eyes from the intensity of it. I am frozen. Trapped in a memory that will not let go, as I am pulled back to the side of the road. Back to the moment that I opened my eyes, only to see hers so empty. Glass....glass covered her like diamonds, mixing with her blood.

  I squeeze my eyes closed, forcing myself to focus on the light. On his light, so that I can leave this place. This horrible place where I lost my best friend. So... I follow it, and I keep following it until I see him.

  There is just something terrifyingly beautiful about Jaxon Lux in this moment. Something that connects to the deepest part of my soul, and refuses to let go. It is in this moment that I know that he was always meant to be mine. As crazy as it sounds, something inside of me knows that we were fated to be together. That we were meant to be two halves of the same whole. Ok apart, but epic together.

  “You wouldn’t!” Braxton seethes, his voice full of fury and betrayal. This time it is Jaxon that laughs, as he begins to chant something in a lyrical language that is both foreign and familiar to me.

  “Profecta esta nobis.”

  Then they disappear in a flash of light, taking the violent shaking with them. I watch from my spot on the floor as the light reabsorbs into Jaxon’s open palm. The place where the brothers stood moments ago empty.

  What-in-the-actual-hell?

  Angels? Spells? Magic? No....I cannot handle this.

  I don’t know how much time passes, but it must be a while, because my legs are stiff from sitting in my crouched position on the ground. I just can’t seem to make myself move. I’m trying....I really...really am, but all of this is just too much for my very human mind to process.

  Angels? Powers? Not...not human? That is what Jaxon says, but that can’t be right. I am one hundred percent human. This...this has to be some kind of cosmic mistake.

  Jaxon makes no move to come closer to me, somehow knowing that I need time to process everything that just happened. My eyes track him as he slowly moves closer, crouching down so that we are eye level. A golden-brown wave falls into his eyes as he leans forward to look at me. My fingers twitch with the need to reach up and brush it away, but I make no move to touch him. If I am being honest, I am terrified to touch him.

  I don’t know what scares me more. The fact that his touch could kill me, or the fact that if I ever allow myself to touch him, I might not ever be able to stop.

  I am going to go with both.

  I must look a little too psycho-chick-rocking-in-the-corner, because Jaxon finally reaches out and places a worried hand on my trembling shoulder. His voice is barely a whisper as he says my name.

  “Maci?”

  I flinch without meaning to, and Jaxon instantly pulls his hand away. I want to apologize, but I don’t know how. How do I tell him that it isn’t his touch that scares me? It is what it makes me feel.

  I have worked damn hard since Ashlee died to not feel anything, for anyone. I can’t....I don’t want to care about people anymore, because the less people that I love the less people that I will have to lose. It is a warped logic...I know, but it has kept me sane over the last few months. I have successfully pushed everyone away, and I don’t want to change that. Not now. Not even for him.

  Nope. There is no way in hell that I am telling him any of that. It is better if he just thinks that I am afraid of him.

  Isn’t it?

  “Did you kill them?” I ask, indicating the spot where his brothers last stood.

  Jaxon laughs, pointing to himself as he says, “Kill them? You think that I would kill my brothers? Hell Maci. Of course I did not kill them. I just sent them away. I would never....”

  “I know,” I cut in, because it is true. I do know that. I have always known that. I just wanted him to back up, and as usual I used my words as a weapon. Something that I have become really good at since that night.

  “Ok,” he says, taking a seat on the floor in front of me. This time he reaches out slowly, giving me time to pull away. I should. There are a thousand reasons why I should, but I don’t. The fact is that I want him to touch me, even though it is the last thing that I deserve.

  His warm hand connects with mine, and he slowly laces our fingers together. I stare as his large hand connects perfectly with my smaller one; like they were made to fit together.

  “Where did you send them?” I ask, mostly to distract myself.

  His thumb rubs softly against mine as he smiles a mischievous smile. It is such a sweet gesture, that I am not even sure he is aware that he is doing it. “Oh. I sent them to Fairy. Angels hate fairies. They are annoying little things that love to play tricks and talk in riddles. Braxton will especially love it there, since he has no sense of humor.”

  “Fairies.....?

  “Yep,” he says with a laugh. “They are real. As are vampires, werewolves, and witches. As a matter of fact. Each species has their own school. This...as I am sure you have already guessed is the sch
ool for angels and in your case Nephilim.”

  “Neph...what?” I ask seriously confused.

  “Nephilim,” he clarifies. “Nephilim are the children of Angels and humans. You Maci are half angel and half human. That is why mother brought you here, though usually those who enroll are aware of what they are.” His eyes shine with remorse as he says that last part, and it reminds me of earlier in the day, in the principal’s office.

  “Your mother, she was supposed to tell me before I enrolled. Wasn’t she?” I guess, and he nods in frustration. He squeezes my hand once, before letting go. I want to cry out at the loss of his touch, but I stay silent. Jaxon Lux is not mine to touch.

  Half angel, and half human. Where have I heard that before? Something about those words......

  “Wait! How did your mom even know about me? Hell, Jaxon I didn’t even know about me? How did she know I was this...this...Neph....”

  “Nephilim,” he says with a laugh.

  “Yes. That! How did she know that about me if I didn’t? Does my mom know? Is that why she sent me here?”

  I know I am asking questions before I even give him a chance to answer, but to be fair I have a lot of questions.

  “I don’t know Maci, but I think that it is my fault. You see. I am a guardian. That is my job.”

  “You are a guardian angel?” I repeat, because come on! This just keeps getting more and more surreal.

  “Yes,” he says without missing a beat. “Anyway. You....” he pauses, taking a large breath before continuing. “You were my charge. I was assigned to keep you safe, but I was almost too late. That night....”

  “Oh my god!” I whisper, jumping to my feet, and grabbing him by the arms. “You were there. I know you were there, but I thought....I thought I imagined you.” Tears fall from my eyes without my permission as everything about that night tries to push its way back in.

  “Yes,” he says, reaching out to catch a teardrop as it falls from my cheek. He looks at it with such sadness before using his thumb to wipe the others away. “I was there, but like I said I was almost too late. You were my first charge Maci. My very first, and I was angry because my entire life I had been training to be a warrior angel, like my father and my brothers. I hated you, and I had never even met you.”