by Katie Ashley
“Thank me?” I questioned.
Abby smiled. “You know, for Atticus.”
“Oh,” I replied as I took the plate from her hand. From her expectant expression, I could tell if I didn’t sample one I would hurt her feelings.
Before I ate one, I reached over and squirted a dollop of honey on it. Then I crammed it in my mouth. “These are really good,” I complimented, through a mouthful of cookie.
“Why did you do that?” Abby asked.
Uh-oh. “Oh, um, I just really love honey. I put it on everything.”
She smiled. “Remember the other night when you said there wasn’t anything special about you?”
“Maybe.”
“I already knew there had to be tons of stuff. And now I know that you eat honey with everything.”
I returned her smile. “I guess so.”
We stood in an awkward silence for a few seconds, before Abby cleared her throat. “Listen, there’s a party tonight at my friend Kim’s house. I was wondering if you wanted to stop by.”
She must’ve read my apprehension because she said, “Rafe and Cassie are welcome to come, too.”
I turned around to see Rafe entering the back door. “How about going to a party tonight?”
“Chaz going?” Rafe asked.
“Of course. Chaz never misses a party,” Abby replied, rolling her eyes.
Rafe nodded. “Sounds cool.”
“Great. And Cassie is invited, too.” Abby grabbed up her purse. “I’ll see you guys at seven.”
I gave an overly enthusiastic wave before ducking my head. After I heard the front door shut, I glanced up at Rafe. “You think it’s okay for us to skip out on our volunteer jobs to go to a party?”
“Nah, man, you gotta look at it from a different perspective. Our assignments are our jobs, and if they’re going to be partying, than we need to be there!” When I remained unconvinced, he threw an arm around my shoulder. “Come on. We better go tell Cassie so she can spend about an hour in front of the mirror!”
***
Later after we’d all piled into the car, Rafe cut his eyes over at us. “Do either of you have any idea what goes on at parties?”
We both shook our heads. He grunted. “I didn’t think so.”
“Is it bad?” I asked.
“Lemme put it this way. It ain’t exactly good. If it’s anything like the parties I’ve been to before, you two are going to see things that guardians like yourself aren’t used to seeing. Just stay close to me. Don’t drink anything and don’t eat anything. Got it?”
Cassie and I both glanced at Rafe with both horror and disbelief etched across our faces.
“Maybe this isn’t such a good idea,” I murmured, as we turned onto Kim’s road.
“Nah, I think it’ll be good for you. Besides, I need to keep an eye on Chaz, and you can watch out for your lady friend.” Rafe looked at Cassie. “I’m just glad Zach and Lauren are kinda wallflowers. There’s no chance we’ll find them here.”
Cassie snorted. “I guess that’s a compliment. But for your information, Zach’s performing at the coffee shop, and Lauren’s working there tonight.”
By the time we reached Kim’s house, the last rays of sun were dipping below the horizon. She lived far off the main road in a very secluded area. We bumped and jostled along the uneven terrain with only the SUV’s headlights to light our way through the growing darkness.
I was surprised when the path ended in a clearing where at least fifty other kids were gathered around a large bonfire. Music blared out of trucks with the windows rolled down. We hopped out of the car and waded through the overgrown grass to the bonfire.
Craning my neck, I searched for Abby as covertly as I could. Finally, I saw her sitting on the back of a large pick-up truck with some of her friends. “There’s Abby. I’m going to go say hello,” I told Rafe and Cassie.
As soon as she saw me, Abby grinned and hopped down off the truck-bed. “Elijah! I’m so glad you made it!”
I flushed a little and cleared my throat. “Thanks for inviting me.”
“These are my friends, Andrea and Kim.”
“Hi,” they said in unison.
“Hello,” I murmured.
“Why don’t you have a seat?” her friend, Andrea, suggested.
“Okay,” I murmured.
“So Elijah, I hear you’re a pretty handy guy to have around?” Kim asked, leaning forward to peer at me.
“Oh, uh, I-I don’t know about that.”
Andrea shook her head. “Sounds like you’re being modest. I mean, Abby told us how you helped out when Atticus got hit.”
I glanced up at Abby who nodded and smiled. “W-Well, I mean, he just looked hurt pretty bad….really, I didn’t do anything but get him back to her house. It’s the Vet who really deserves the credit for helping out,” I protested.
Andrea brought her hand to her heart. “OMG, that’s so sweet!”
Kim exchanged a glance with Abby. “So Elijah, you seeing anyone?”
My eyebrows furrowed with confusion. I had no idea what she was talking about. I glanced around. “Yeah, uh, I see lots of people.” Kim snorted, but Abby elbowed her.
“She meant are you dating someone,” Abby said.
The usual red flush crept over my cheeks and neck. “Oh, uh, n-no, I-I’m not.”
“That’s good to know,” Andrea replied, with a grin.
Kim saved me from my embarrassment by nudging Abby. “Um, who is that weirdo creeping on you?”
“Who?” Abby asked.
“That guy,” Kim replied, motioning towards one of the oak trees.
My chest tightened. It was Lucius. As soon as he caught my gaze, he nodded his head in hello.
“I don’t know. I’ve never seen him before,” Abby said.
I knew I had to do something and do it fast. “Um, I-I think I’ve seen him around school. I’ll go see what he wants.”
“See, I told you he was a good guy to have around,” Andrea said, and then she gave me a wink.
I stumbled off the truck bed, unnerved by her actions. After I recovered, I stalked towards Lucius.
“Why Elijah, I didn’t mean to interrupt your little get together with Abby.”
“What are you doing here?” I demanded.
Lucius rolled his eyes. “Um, demons like to cut loose and have a little fun too, you know.”
“That’s not what I meant and you know it. Everyone knows how strong you are. Why waste your efforts at a high school party?”
Lucius smiled cruelly. “Look around you, Elijah. This is a new frontier, ripe for our influence. The world has spent too many years underestimating the youth of America. Now they’re caught up with wars, but what they don’t get is we’re at war right on the school campuses. Is this not and I quote ‘a generation of lovers of themselves, lovers of money, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, brutal, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,’?”
“No, it’s not!” I protested.
He held up his hands. “Hey, don’t shoot the messenger. After all, it’s your book, not mine.”
“But they’re not a lost generation. They still can learn to seek the paths of righteousness.”
“Or the paths of destruction and death. My Dark Lord realizes the beauty of it. I mean, the children are our future. Teach them well and let them lead the way.” He grinned wickedly at me. “Now that’s not your book. I thought I’d throw in a little Whitney Houston for your benefit.”
“But you won’t succeed,” I countered.
“Are you challenging me, Elijah?”
“Maybe,” I answered, determinedly.
He drew his shoulders back and grinned. “Oh, I like a challenge. But I have to warn you. I don’t play fair or by the rules.”
A strange feeling came over me. Something dark and different. Something that put words, cold words, into my mouth. “Maybe I won’t this time either.”
“Then it begins.” H
e started to walk off and then turned back to me. “Oh by the way, I’m getting the feeling something big is coming for your girl, Abby. Looks like it’s gonna be a real doozy!”
A chill tingled through me as Lucius disappeared into the night. At the sound of Rafe’s voice behind me, I jumped.
“What were you thinking?” he demanded.
I whirled around to see him and Cassie. “You scared me,” I replied, rubbing my chest.
Rafe took a step forward. “Did you just threaten him?”
Reality crashed down on me like pelts of icy rain, and I shuddered.
“Maybe,” I whispered.
A groan mixed with a growl erupted from Rafe’s throat. “Oh man, how could you?”
Cassie’s gaze flickered back and forth between Rafe and me like a spectator a tennis match. “Um, time out. Newbie is lost. Why are you both so upset over Elijah challenging Lucius? I mean, he was more than provoking Elijah.”
Rafe crossed his arms over his chest. “Whenever an angel challenges a demon it’s like a dare that has to be taken—like when they used to duel back in the day. They never forget the words spoken, and they’ll go out of their way to see that they win, no matter what.”
Cassie’s eyes widened, and she glanced over at me. “Oh.”
I eased back against the trunk of the tree. “I don’t know what came over me. I-I knew not to do it. It’s like now that I’ve got all these crazy, teenage emotions whirling around in me I don’t think straight anymore.”
Rafe patted me on the back. “I understand where you’re coming from, man, but of all the demons you had to provoke…”
“Um, if this is a pep talk, I’m not sure it’s working very well,” I countered.
He snorted while Cassie took my hand in hers. When I gazed up at her, she gave me a sympathetic look. I almost wanted to laugh. Here we were, two screw-ups at the angel game. Of course, Cassie could easily blame hers on not being a guardian angel but a year. But me? I knew better.
Rafe clapped his hands together, causing both Cassie and me to jump. “Okay, well, it’s done, so we can’t dwell on it. I guess the best thing to do would be to tell Gabriel. And of course, keep our guards up. Be on the look-out for ways Lucius might strike.”
I nodded. “Yeah, I guess that’s all we can do.”
“I mean, when it’s all said and done, the fact you challenged him probably won’t matter. It doesn’t take a lot to get him riled up.”
“You got that right,” I replied.
“Okay, well, I better go find Chaz.”
“I’m going inside to try something to drink that doesn’t have alcohol in it,” Cassie said.
I remained leaned against the tree trunk, watching the other partygoers. Rafe hadn’t been gone five minutes when Chaz staggered up.
“Hey man, what’s up?” he asked.
“Not much. Rafe was looking for you.”
Chaz winced. “He wants to baby-sit me. He’s a real downer since he doesn’t drink.” He surveyed my empty hand and thrust his plastic cup at me. “Here, you look bummed. Drink this, and you’ll be feeling better soon.”
“Um, okay.”
All of Rafe’s warnings flashed through my mind as I glanced at the amber colored liquid. Maybe Chaz was right, and it would make me feel better. I looked up to see Abby talking to a football player from my math class. The way she giggled at him over her plastic cup made the decision a lot easier. I turned the cup up and drank it all the way down. I waited for a thunderous warning from the Dominion or even the Thrones for that matter.
But nothing happened.
Then it hit me--the alcohol that is. It pulsed through every molecule inside me. It felt like my body was convulsing over and over again. I should have known my angelic senses would cause the alcohol to have a reaction ten times more than on a normal human. When I finally came back to myself again, I saw Landon stagger up to Abby. He knocked the guy from math out of the way. “Hey, babe, let’s go for a walk out in the woods.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you, Landon.”
“Oh, come on,” Landon pleaded.
When he placed his hand on her thigh, my head swam. I started weaving my way towards them.
Abby knocked his hand away.
“You can barely walk.”
Landon shook his head and took another long swig of beer. “I can walk just fine. Besides, I want some time with you.” He grinned suggestively. “You know, alone time.”
I watched Abby survey the others expressions before she shifted uncomfortably. “No,” she whispered.
Sighing with exasperation, Landon lunged over, jerking Abby to him. “Come on, I said let’s go for a walk,” he insisted.
“Landon, leave me alone!”
When Landon started struggling with her, I suddenly pushed myself between them. “I think she said to leave her alone.”
Landon narrowed his eyes at me. “I don’t think it’s any of your business.”
Suddenly, my courage swelled with pulsing angelic force, and I puffed my chest out. “When a girl says no, I make it my business.”
“Oh yeah? What’s a guy like you gonna do about it?” As Landon eyed me, I stiffened. “I could break you in two, pansy boy!”
At the sound of raised voices, several partygoers inched closer, anticipating a beating. I swallowed nervously. I had never physically fought anyone in my seventy-five guardian angel years—at least not in human form. Landon outweighed me by fifty pounds at least, and it was in sheer muscle. But as I glanced back at Abby, I was ready to do anything for her.
Chaz lurched forward. “Man, you take one swing at him, and I’ll flatten you!”
Landon snorted. “This ain’t your fight, Thomas. Besides, it wouldn’t be a fair fight with you drunk off your ass!”
“Yeah, it may not be my fight, but no one talks to my sister or Rafe’s brother that way,” Chaz slurred.
“I’m not afraid to fight him myself!” I countered.
“Then bring it on,” Landon said.
Rafe interrupted us. “All right, that’s enough. Nobody’s fighting tonight, you got that?” He looked from Landon to me. “Go cool off, Jay-Jay.”
“I’m not finished here,” Landon challenged.
Standing squarely in front of him, Rafe shook his head. “You’re more than finished. If coach got wind of you fighting, you’d be running suicides until you puked on Monday. So back off!”
“Whatever, man.” He narrowed his eyes at me. “You can sure as hell bet we’ll finish this some other time.” Then he stalked off with some of his friends.
Everyone went back to where they had been once they realized the show was over. Abby stared open-mouthed at me. “Elijah, I don’t know what to say.”
That’s when the world tilted and spun around me. The acrid air around the bonfire stung my eyes and turned my stomach.
“Um, I think I’m going to be sick,” I muttered before clamping my hand over my mouth. I made it to the safety of tree before I threw up. The amber liquid scorched my throat as it shot back up.
When I raised my head, I found Abby standing beside me. Mortification rocketed through me when I realized what had happened. “I…uh, I,” I began, but the explanation just simply wouldn’t come. I ducked my head and refused to look at her.
Her hand rubbed along my lower back. “It’s okay, Elijah. You’re not the first person who has puked in front of me,” she said. I still couldn’t find the words. She took me by the hand and started leading me into the house. “You need some air conditioning and something cool to drink.”
The house was relatively quiet as everyone was outside around the bonfire. She handed me a bottle of water out of the refrigerator. “Drink slow,” she instructed.
“Okay.”
Abby motioned for me to have a seat at the table. I eased down into a chair as she rinsed a paper towel in cool water. Her hand gently brought the rag across my cheek. It felt so wonderful that I closed my eyes. Warmth flooded my heart as I realized Ab
by had such a gift for caring and nurturing others. Her next words took me out of my contentedness.
“Elijah, what were you thinking?”
I snapped my eyes open. “What?”
“The way you were acting out there…”
“Me? That jerk was assaulting you!”
Abby shook her head. “I’m talking about the drinking and threatening people. That’s not you at all. You’re too good for all that.”
“And how would you know?” I murmured.
“Because I know enough about you to know you’re not some hot-head drinker. You’re sweet and caring and kind.”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize. It was nice having someone take up for me.”
“Really?”
Abby smiled and nodded. “Think you’re ready to go back outside?”
“If you’re going with me, then sure,” I replied, returning her smile.
She then took my hand and led me back out to the party.
Chapter Eleven: CASSIE
The morning the West Side Story cast was announced, I didn’t know how to feel. It’s amazing how one little assignment mix up can alter your entire mood. Part of me hummed with positive energy. I mean, based on my audition, it was only natural to assume I’d not gotten just a part, but that I’d gotten the lead.
But then another part of me buzzed with dread. If I got the lead, what would it do to Lauren? And how was I ever going to befriend her if she was angry with me?
On the way in from the parking lot, I dawdled behind Rafe and Elijah. “Why are you walking so slow?” Rafe demanded after turning to check on me for the third time.
“Just nervous I guess.”
“But you did great in the audition, Cass. There’s no way you’re not getting the lead,” Elijah replied.
Rafe shook his head. “Nah, man, that’s the problem. Her acing the audition with that over the top performance probably edged out Lauren, and that means trouble.”
“Oh….I hadn’t thought of it that way,” Elijah murmured.
I responded by exhaling noisily. I mean, what could I say? Rafe was right…again. After they headed to their locker, I ambled alone down the hallway with my nerves twisting my stomach into knots. I reached the auditorium to find a crowd already gathered around the part postings. I screeched to a halt at the sight of the others.
