by Aron Lewes
“No. Not really.” A few seconds later, I ask, “Why were you so hard on him?”
“Was I?” When Jophiel offers me an arm, I take it. As we drift closer to the Tower, he pulls me to the right. I think he's trying to avoid an encounter with Michael's screaming fans.
“Yeah. I thought you were.”
“Hmm.” As he ponders his behavior, Jophiel drags a hand along his chin. “Maybe I was hard on him. To be honest, Leigh, I think I'm a bit jealous of him.”
“Jealous? Of Taishi?” I didn't think Archangels were susceptible to jealousy. “Why?”
“Well, to begin with, he's the only man besides Michael who's ever beaten me in single combat,” Jophiel confesses. “That alone is enough to put me at odds with him.”
I try not to sound too awed. “Wow... I didn't realize Taishi was that good.”
“Additionally...” Jophiel continues, “he gets to spend a lot of time with you, and I don't.”
“O-Oh.” My cheeks warm as Jophiel leads me into a garden.
Home is brimming with gardens. I learned that on day one. In this particular garden, a cobbled path winds between walls of flora. Shimmering gold butterflies soar over pink petunias, while hummingbirds flit from flower to flower. A floppy-eared invader wanders into our path and studies us. A few seconds later, the rabbit disappears beneath the ground.
“I love it here,” Jophiel says. “This garden is my favorite place of refuge.”
“It is a nice garden,” I agree. When Jophiel reaches for my hand, I'm frozen by his touch. My feet don't want to move, but I don't want to look like an idiot, so I force myself to keep going.
“I wanted to take you here... to talk.” Jophiel gently tugs on my arm, encouraging me to face him. He's so beautiful, it's difficult to look at him. “Leigh... I like you. You know that.”
“Uh huh.” My answer is lame, but it's the only response I can manage.
“I've been doing a lot of thinking... and I want to be with you,” Jophiel tells me. “I want to be yours, and I want you to be mine.”
“Uh... wow.” Once again, my answer is so lame, it's cringe-worthy. “You mean, like... be your girlfriend?”
“Yes. Absolutely.” He pulls my hand to his lips, kissing my knuckles. “What do you think?”
“I think...” I'm surprised my voice hasn't died. Hell, I'm surprised I'm still standing. Jophiel as my boyfriend? It's almost too good to be true. “I think... I like that idea.”
“Good. That's a weight off my shoulders.” With a wicked smile, he adds, “I guess my celibacy might be at an end.”
“Uh... yeah.” Celibacy means no sex, right? Does that mean he's thinking about having sex with me? I must talk to Alyx about this!
“May I kiss you?” As he whispers the question, Jophiel's thumb gently grazes my cheek. When he touches me, it feels like my skin's on fire. In a good way.
“Y-yeah.” I wish I didn't sound like such a nervous wreck. “Of course.”
Jophiel leans down to kiss me. I detect a dizzying hint of mint as he lowers his face to mine. When I feel his lips on my mouth, I breathe a happy sigh. For the first time ever, I'm almost glad I died.
Happy as I am, I can't get Taishi's words out of my mind.
Don't go with Jophiel.
I can hear his voice so clearly, it's like I've got a thoughtshare stuck in my ear.
Ignoring the voice in my head, I wrap my arms around Jophiel's broad shoulders and deepen the kiss.
Nothing is going to ruin this moment for me.
The bass guitar is so loud, I swear I feel it rattling my jaw. Alyx begged me to take her to a Regal Crimson concert, and I didn't want to disappoint her, so here we are. Now I'm just trying to get through it.
Yesterday, Jophiel shared an interesting piece of information with me. Apparently, I'm the only student who can successfully warp. According to him, most spirits don't get a handle on it until their thirtieth or fortieth mission. I started warping on my third mission, and I have no idea how I grasped it so quickly. Anyway, because of my newly acquired skill, I was able to take my roommate to the rock concert of her dreams.
The other day, I made an account on Spirit Sanctum, where spirit guides can chat on their LightTabs and make fan pages for popular angels. I stumbled across a message board dedicated to Taishi Nakamura, and I almost wish I hadn't. A few haters seem to think my success is solely because of my instructor. I hated it, but I have to wonder if they're right. As far as I know, Taishi Nakamura is the only instructor with a 9.87 rating. No one else comes close.
After our three successful missions, Taishi's rating went up. His 9.86 is now a 9.87, and I'm sure he's pretty happy about that.
When I glance at Alyx, it looks like her euphoria has reached new heights. Her expression is pure bliss. Try as I might, I can't understand why she's so obsessed with this band. Some of the guitar is catchy, and the lead singer isn't a bad-looking guy, but they're not that great. In fact, Alyx's favorite guy looks a bit stiff. He's barely moving.
“Oh my god, Leigh... isn't this amazing?” Alyx shouts. The music is so loud, shouting is essential.
I don't want to hurt her feelings, but I don't want to seem too interested either. With a shrug, I reply, “Uh... sure.”
“Kerry is soooo hot!” she coos. “I wish I was his spirit guide. Oh my god, that would be amayyy-zing. If I was his guide, it would be, like... my actual job to follow him around.”
“Yeah,” I chuckle. “I'm sure you'd like that.”
“I could go to all of his shows,” Alyx fantasizes. “I'd need a partner a bit cooler than Wilma Dawes, though.”
“Do you have a new instructor yet?” I ask, but Alyx ignores my question. Kerry started wiggling his butt, so I'm probably the furthest thing from her mind right now.
While Regal Crimson is blasting their music, I zone out and start thinking about my sister. Now that I know how to warp, I can visit my family on my own. I went back yesterday and sat with them during dinner. They didn't seem as depressed as they were before—which is good, I guess. I don't want them to be devastated about me for the rest of their lives.
When the concert is over, Alyx screams so loudly, I think she might shatter my ear. As she blows kisses to the lead singer, she yells, “Kerry, I love youuuuu!”
I'm glad she's not looking at me right now. If she was, she would see the most blatant eye roll in the history of eye rolls. As soon as the band walks off, I grab Alyx's wrist and whisk her back to our shared bedroom.
“Awww!” Alyx whines. “I wanted to follow him a little while. I wanted to see what Kerry does backstage. I wanted to see him rip off his t-shirt and wipe the sweat from his body.”
Ugh. Can she spare me? Her love for this rocker guy is killing me a little bit. Maybe I could change the subject and get her talking about something else?
“So... I kissed Jophiel,” I blurt. As expected, she looks stunned.
“Whaaaat? Excuse me?”
“I kissed Archangel Jophiel,” I repeat. “Or I guess you could say... he kissed me. I think he might be my boyfriend now.”
“You're messing with me, right?”
I chuckle at my roommate's disbelief. “No. I'm totally serious. It just happened yesterday. Look.”
I show her a long text from Jophiel, which was sent this morning.
I've been thinking of you. Of our kiss. I know you have class with Amber this afternoon, and it's a shame we're both so busy. If you find time, can you visit me at Archangel Tower tonight? I'm training some recruits, but I should have some time for you as well.
“Holy shit!” Alyx snatches the LightTab from my hand and holds it up to her face. “This looks legit. You aren't kidding, are you?”
I try not to smirk as I shake my head. “Nope.”
“You're dating an Archangel? Damn, girl!” Alyx's arms cross as she collapses into her bed. “You have a hot instructor and a hot boyfriend. I literally hate you right now.”
“No, you don't!” I reclaim my LightTab
with a roll of my eyes. “Besides, you got to see your Regal Crimson guy. You should be pretty happy too.”
“Yeah, but I'm not dating him!” Alyx exclaims. “We're not making out!”
“Jophiel and I didn't really make out,” I correct her.
“But you'll probably be making out soon. At least, you should be. If you're not making out with him soon, I'll be so disappointed in you.” Alyx suddenly tosses her pillow at me. “I hate you a little bit, but I'm still rooting for you.”
With a chuckle, I murmur, “Gee, thanks.”
“What's this about class with Amber?” Alyx asks, referring to Jophiel's text. “You have another class without me?”
“Y-yeah.” I'm a bit reluctant to talk about it. I don't want to sound like I'm bragging. “It's a class for the twenty-four percent who successfully completed the first three missions.”
“Pfft. The twenty-four percent are ass kissers. No offense.” I start to lose Alyx's attention to her LightTab. Any time it's on, her eyes are glued to the screen. “But... at least I don't have a zero out of ten anymore, right?”
“Right.” I want to say I'm happy for her, but I'm pretty sure it would sound patronizing, so I don't. “Speaking of class, I should probably head off.”
“Alright. Go away.” Alyx sends me off with a flick of her hand. She's so sweet.
I head to the classroom, where I'm surprised by the number of empty chairs. Very few students are scattered around the room. I look around for familiar faces, but I don't see many.
As soon as Amber enters the room, there's a collective gasp from the entire class. At first, I don't even recognize her. For lack of a better word, she's old. Her curly black hair is gray and braided. Her face, which was once flawless, is covered in cavernous wrinkles. Actually, she's more than old. She's ancient.
“Hello, class.” When Amber greets us, her voice is raspier than usual. Even her voice must have changed with age. “I'm sure you're all wondering about my appearance. Believe it or not, I died when I was eighty-eight years old, and that is the physical age you're seeing right now.”
My mind is blown. If not for her wise, golden eyes, I wouldn't have recognized her in the slightest. This is insane.
“Look around you. There are many wizened faces in this classroom. However, here at Home, aged faces are actually quite rare. Have you ever wondered why? There's a very simple explanation for it. After your fiftieth mission, assuming you can maintain a minimum rating of five out of ten, you can shift,” Amber tells us. “You can alter your physical appearance. You can change your age. For example, if you died when you were very old, like Mr. Carruthers, you might choose to look thirty or forty years old again. Conversely, if you died very young, like Miss Riley, you might want to see what you would have looked like at thirty or forty.” By the end of her speech, Amber looks young again. In the time it takes to bat an eye, her wrinkles vanish, and her hair is back to black. “It's a gift for spirits who perform reasonably well.”
The outspoken Mr. Sood thrusts up an arm. During our last class, he was mad at me for having a skilled instructor. I don't know why he's complaining, though. If he's still here, he must have a good partner too.
“Yes, Mr. Sood?” Amber calls on him with a tremulous, false smile.
“Why didn't you tell us this sooner?” Mr. Sood asks. “My roommate, Dave, hasn't completed a single mission. If he knew he could look twenty again, I'm sure he would've tried harder!”
“That's a very good question, and I'm glad you asked.” Amber sits at her desk and crosses her legs. “We like to give an advantage to spirits who try hard without needing a reason to do so. Spirits like you, Mr. Sood. If you're in this classroom, it's because you genuinely wanted to help. It's not because you wanted to look young again.” Amber's smile grows as she studies her student's face. “Now that you know, you're welcome to share the information with Dave.”
And I'll probably share the information with Alyx, even though I doubt she'd care. Looking seventeen isn't necessarily a bad thing.
“Additionally...” Amber continues, “When you've completed one hundred missions, you can apply to become an instructor. To qualify, you'll need a minimum rating of six out of ten. Of course, you can also continue guidework on your own. Becoming an instructor is certainly not required. The instructors have a bit more clout, but it really boils down to personal preference.”
A woman in the back of the class raises her hand, so Amber addresses her. “Yes. Miss Bjarnesen?”
“If you become an instructor, and your rating slips below six, are you fired?”
“Once again, a very good question!” Amber exclaims. “Unfortunately... yes. Even a 5.99 would make you ineligible to continue. We encourage you to keep your rating as high as possible so more opportunities and perks are presented to you. For example, spirits with high ratings have the freedom to choose their charges.”
Opportunities and perks, huh? Maybe I can use this information to inspire my roommate? If she had a high rating, maybe she could be Regal Crimson guy's spirit guide?
“The ability to choose one's charges applies to guides, not instructors. Student guides' charges are hand-selected by a board of high-ranking angels, of which I am a member. Now... are there any more questions?”
When no one raises a hand, Amber abruptly dismisses us. As soon as I'm free, I head to Archangel Tower to meet my boyfriend.
My boyfriend: The Archangel Jophiel.
I still can't believe it.
I'm not permitted to enter Archangel Tower until the guard at the gate sees my name on the list. Apparently, very few spirits are allowed into the Archangels' inner sanctum. When the gate opens to let me in, one of Archangel Michael's fans screams at me, “Tell Michael... Christina loves hiiiim!”
There are a lot of similarities between the spirit world and mortal world. LightTabs aren't that different from iPads, everyone still likes pizza, and Archangels are treated like rock stars. Michael's fans are the most dedicated groupies. They live for a glimpse of their idol.
A female Archangel directs me to the Archangels' training room, where Jophiel is practicing his swordplay. Fire crackles with every swing of his flaming blade. Not every Archangel has a fiery sword. Uriel, who I recognize from the LightTab, has purple lightning bolts skipping across his spear. My eyes are drawn to two battling females, whose blue blades are hurling icicles. I wonder what would be more effective? Fire or ice?
“Maybe they're not even effective at all? Maybe they're just supposed to look cool?” I whisper to myself. When I catch Jophiel's attention, he stops fighting and waves. A moment later, he sheaths his flaming blade and sprints over to me.
“Leigh!” Jophiel exclaims, capturing me in a hug. “I'm sorry if I'm a bit sweaty.”
My eyebrow raises at his comment. “You can sweat?”
“No!” My new boyfriend chuckles at my naivete. “It was supposed to be a joke... albeit, a bad one. I'm not really known for being the funny Archangel. That honor would go to Raguel.”
“Raguel?” When I repeat the name, my eyebrow raises again. “I'm not surprised. Even his name sounds funny. He kinda sounds like a pasta noodle.”
A ripple of laughter erupts from Jophiel. “A noodle? Really? I'll be sure to pass that along to him.”
“Please don't,” I beg. “I don't want to be known as the girl who compares Archangels to pasta. Taishi would say it's disrespectful.”
“Well, Taishi has no sense of humor,” Jophiel says. “He's here right now, by the way. He's training with Gabriel. See? He's over there.”
I follow Jophiel's eyes to Taishi. It takes me a moment to spot him in the sea of clanging blades. At least a dozen duels are being fought, and Taishi's is one of the most impressive. Taishi and the red-haired Gabriel are swinging their blades so fast, their swords look like one giant blur.
“I didn't realize Taishi visited Archangel Tower,” I think aloud.
Jophiel responds with a shrug. “Indeed. He started coming about three weeks a
go. I'm sure you know this already, but... Taishi is well on his way to becoming an Archangel. He's one of our most promising recruits. To qualify, you have to complete a certain number of missions, and your rating must be astronomically high.”
“Is there any Archangel with a totally perfect rating?” I ask. That question has been floating around in my head for awhile.
“Michael is closest.” I catch Jophiel clenching his teeth. He probably doesn't like to sing Michael's praises. “Michael has a 9.9 rating.”
“Wow. So literally nobody has a ten out of ten.”
“Well... you do,” Jophiel says with a wink. “However, no one with more than a thousand missions under his belt has ever had a perfect rating.”
“His belt?” I repeat, sneering. “Does that mean most Archangels are male?” Looking around the room, I see a few female faces, but most of the fighters are men.
“No, not at all. There are many female Archangels,” Jophiel corrects me. “Have you not heard of Haniel? She's exceptionally popular.”
“No, I haven't. I...” My voice trails off when Gabriel's blade lashes across Taishi's arm. My instructor's blood colors the training room's shiny floor. It must hurt like hell, but Taishi's face is blank. He blocks Gabriel's follow-up attack and counters with a slash.
“Ah. It looks like Taishi took a hit. Is that why you're wincing?” Jophiel asks. “It will heal... in a few minutes. Gabriel is one of the top five highest ranking sword fighters, you know.”
“Who are the top five?” I ask. I'm pretty sure my boyfriend is at the top, so I thought I would give him a chance to boast.
“Well... there's Michael, of course,” Jophiel answers with a slight roll of his eyes. “I'm number two. Taishi is number three, believe it or not. He's the only man on the list who isn't officially an Archangel yet. Finally, there's Haniel and Gabriel.”
When Taishi's blade slices through Gabriel's stomach, I gasp. “Oh no!”
“Don't worry about Gabriel, Leigh. He'll be healed before I finish this sentence, I'm sure,” As he speaks, Jophiel's hand glides along my back. “Now... I'm wondering if you would like to accompany me to my quarters? Wouldn't you like to see how an Archangel lives?”
