The Guardians

by Katie Ashley

  Once again, I raged against my feelings. Be it Demon Kiss or not, I was a complete and total angel screw-up and a seriously a bad human.

  “Hey, are you okay?” Chaz asked in alarm.

  I forced a smile to my lips as I fought back the tears stinging my eyes. “I was just thinking how perfect this night is, and how I don’t want it to end.”

  “Yeah, it has been a great night,” Chaz said. “Definitely one of the best ones I’ve had sober and fully clothed.”

  “Chaz!” I cried, as I flushed from my cheeks down to my neck.

  He laughed at my embarrassment. “I’m just teasing you, Cassie. I mean, you looked like you were about to cry, so I thought I better say something to lighten the mood.”

  “Oh,” I replied, in relief.

  His face grew serious. “I think I know why you were about to cry.”

  My breath caught in my chest. “Why?”

  He motioned his head in the direction where Zach and Lauren were wrapped tightly in each other’s arms. Lauren had her head nestled against Zach’s shoulder. The sight caused an aching burn in my chest.

  I shook my head. “No, that’s not it.”

  He cocked his head at me. “Oh come on, Cassie. You’re not going to get much by me since I’m stone cold sober nowadays.”

  “How could you tell?”

  “It’s the way you looked when you were dancing with him tonight. But more than anything, it was the way you looked when you guys stopped dancing together.” At my horrified expression, he laughed. “Don’t worry. I’m not feeling like a second rate date at the moment. I understand how you feel.”

  “You do?”

  “Yeah, I really wanted to ask Brooke Conrad to the dance.”

  I gasped. “Coach Conrad’s daughter?” When he nodded, I still couldn’t believe it. Brooke was the least likely girl I ever thought Chaz would be interested in—the main fact being she didn’t party, she was a straight A student, and she was also involved in drama. “Well, why didn’t you ask her?”

  He shrugged. “I didn’t think she would wanna go with someone like me.”

  “I think you’re selling yourself a little short.”

  “Maybe.”

  “Well, I still think you should go for it and ask her out. It might be good for both of you.”

  Chaz appeared thoughtful. “All right. We’ll see.”

  I smiled. “Good, I’m glad to hear it.”

  “And what about you?”

  “What do you mean what about me?”

  He sighed. “Are you going to do anything about Zach?”

  My eyes widened. “No, I can’t! We’re just friends, and Lauren—”

  “You don’t look at each other like friends,” he argued.

  I shook my head. “It doesn’t matter. That’s what we are. I’ve worked really hard to get him and Lauren together—they’re good for each other.”

  A sly smile formed on Chaz’s lips. “Well, maybe you’re selling yourself short,” he said, giving me back the advice I’d given him earlier.

  I laughed. “No trust me. It’s complicated.”

  “Love always is.” When I didn’t respond, he drew me closer to him. “How about for the moment, we just forget about all the complicated stuff and just enjoy tonight?”

  “I think that sounds like a great idea.”

  And for the rest of the night, I pushed any negative thoughts out of my mind and simply enjoyed being with Chaz.

  Chapter Twenty-Four: ELIJAH

  After the magical night we had at Homecoming, regular school seemed to pale in comparison. The only redeeming factor was getting to be with Abby. As Mr. Thorton droned on and on about linear equations, I silently counted the minutes until class was over.

  The bell miraculously rang, and I bolted out of my seat. “Slow down, Romeo,” Rafe joked, as I raced past him.

  “Whatever,” I mumbled under my breath.

  When I got to Abby’s locker, she wasn’t there. I craned my neck up the hall to try to see her, but she was nowhere in sight. A razor sharp burn criss-crossed through my chest—Abby was in pain. I closed my eyes and leaned against the locker, concentrating on what had happened. With her arms laden down with pom-poms, she had just made it to the cheerleading supply closet on the second floor when Landon cornered her. He shoved her inside, demanding to know if the rumors about her being pregnant were true. The vision faded in and out, and I didn’t get a clear picture of what happened next. I knew I had to find her, and I couldn’t disappear into unseen form in the middle of the hallway.

  I took the stairs two at a time. When I reached the closet, I glanced left and right before I opened the door. “Abby?” It was hard to make out anything with the room crammed full of cheerleading equipment.

  She was sitting on the floor next to a box of uniforms with her face buried in her knees. Her body convulsed in silent sobs. I knelt down beside her. “Abby, I’m here.”

  Without a word, she fell into my waiting arms. “Shh, don’t cry,” I whispered into her ear. “Tell me what happened.”

  She raised her tear-stained face. “I told Landon about the baby,” she said, through hiccupping sighs.

  “And?”

  “He said he didn’t care and that it’s all my problem to deal with. He said he’d never really cared about me. And that…” she drew in a deep breath as her eyes closed in pain, “He just wanted to be the one to break me in.”

  Rage engulfed me to where flames nicked and cracked at my body. At that moment, I could have killed Landon. I shuddered from fright since it felt like I was demon possessed. I knew somewhere in the school, Lucius reeled in surging power.

  I had to do something to focus my out of control emotions. I took Abby’s hand in mine. “Come on, let me take you home.” I pulled her to her feet and helped her out the door.

  We had just turned the corner when we came face to face with Landon. He sized us up with a contemptuous smirk. “Guess you’re not crying over me too long, huh, Abby?”

  Abby pressed against me like I was a shield against Landon. “Stay away from us,” I growled.

  Landon grabbed hold of my arm, his fingertips bearing into my flesh. “I know you must be pretty stoked a girl as hot as Abby would be interested in someone like you.” He shook his head. “I bet you’ve never been laid in your life!”

  I stared straight ahead, willing myself not to respond for fear I might spiral out of control. If I lost it, there was no guarantee my wings wouldn’t unfurl right in the middle of the hallway.

  Landon snorted. “You’re not feeling as tough as you were that night at the party, huh? Or maybe you’re just trying to play the nice guy for Abby’s benefit. You know, to get her in the sack.” His leaned in, his face inches from mine. “But I’d wager that deep down, you’re not one bit worried about playing the game. I’m sure you probably think since she’s knocked up she’s an easy piece of ass, but trust me, her legs are locked together at the knees unless you get her good and drunk. Then she’ll do anything.”

  Something in me came unhinged. Every molecule in me burned with rage. When I spoke, I didn’t even recognize my own voice. “Don’t you ever talk about Abby that way again! In fact, don’t you ever even look in her direction!” I shouted. Before I could stop myself, I did the unthinkable.

  I shoved him.

  The force caught us both by surprise as Landon slammed back against the lockers.

  His eyes widened. “Man, I told you I wasn’t finished with you.” He jabbed his finger at me. “And now you’re dead!” He lunged at me, landing one good punch.

  But it was all in vain. I retaliated by sending two harsh punches to his abdomen and then one to his chin. He may have outweighed me by a hundred pounds, but my inner strength radiated with angelic power.

  “FIGHT!” someone screamed up the hallway. Kids poured out of classrooms into the hallway. I pummeled Landon over and over again. Blood spattered against my knuckles, but I kept beating him. My limbs took on a life of their ow
n, and the sound of his breaking ribs only fueled me on.

  Suddenly, two arms appeared, dragging me off of him. “Elijah! Stop it man!” Rafe cried. Then one of the Assistant Principals, Mr. Reynolds, along with the campus police officer appeared.

  “My office now!” Mr. Reynolds barked.

  With Rafe at my side and the police officer’s hand pressed against my back, I edged slowly up the hallway.

  Lucius appeared literally out of nowhere, shaking his head at me. “Nice job. I really owe you for that boost, Elijah. But seriously, the next time you feel so angry, I’d love for you to come take out your aggression out on me.”

  Blood raced in my head, clouding my vision. “Never!” I shouted back, with murderous fury.

  “We’ll see,” he smirked.

  Suddenly, Abby’s emotions rippled through me, and my expression softened. I turned to see her striding up the hall towards me. Her eyes swept over my blood spattered shirt and hands, causing her expression to become one of both horror and disgust.

  It broke my heart.

  The policeman ushered me into the office, and Mr. Reynolds turned to Rafe. “You wait out here.”

  Rafe nodded. I jumped as the door slammed behind me. “Have a seat,” Mr. Reynolds ordered. I quickly sunk down into one of the chairs.

  He stared at me across the desk. “What do you have to say for yourself?”

  It took me a minute to find my voice. “I’m very sorry, sir.”

  Mr. Reynolds shook his head. “I’m very disappointed in you, Elijah. You’re a straight A student, and you’ve never been in trouble. What would make you do such a thing?”

  “I don’t know. I’ve never fought anyone before in my life,” I answered miserably.

  “Did he provoke you?” Mr. Reynolds questioned.

  “Yes, with words.”

  “What did he say?”

  I tried wiping some of the blood off my hands. It only sent a red smudge across my knuckles. Mr. Reynolds handed me a tissue. “Elijah, you need to tell me what he said,” he prompted

  Running the tissue in slow circles across my hands, I explained what happened.

  “So you were defending Miss Thomas’s honor?”

  “I guess.”

  Mr. Reynolds smiled. “Sounds like you’re a modern day knight in shining armor.”

  I shrugged.

  He sighed. “You’ve really tied my hands with this one, Elijah. Normally, I would have to call the police, but because of who you are and who your brother and sister are, I’m not going to.”

  “You aren’t?” I asked.

  “No, I’m not. But I will have to give you a week of out of school suspension.”

  Shame filled me as I stared down at my hands. “Yes sir, I understand.”

  “Go wait outside now. I’ve got to call your brother to come pick you up,” Mr. Reynolds said.

  “Yes sir.” I rose from my chair and joined Rafe outside.

  “So what happened?” Rafe asked.

  “I’ve been suspended for a week.”

  “Man, that’s harsh.”

  “And he’s calling Gabriel to come pick me up.”

  Rafe winced. “Ah, that’s even worse.”

  I shook my head. “Nothing Gabriel says will make me feel any worse than I already do.”

  “Listen Jay-Jay, you can’t beat yourself up over this. Your emotions got the better of you, and you had a little slip up. It happens.”

  “A slip up? I slugged a guy!”

  “No, you beat him to a pulp,” Rafe replied, grinning. I gave him an exasperated look, and he sighed. “Seriously Elijah, I know what you’re feeling. I’ve been there. You just have to realize you made a mistake, and you’ll do better the next time.”

  “But I wanted to kill him. Not just for what he said about Abby, but for everything he’s done to her.”

  “What you’re describing is a very natural reaction to loving someone. It’s a very human reaction.”

  I shuddered. “I hate this teenage emotions garbage. I’ve never felt so out of control before in my life.”

  We were interrupted by Gabriel bursting through the office door. Sophie was close on his heels. “Gabriel, I’m-”

  He held up his hand. “Don’t apologize. It’s okay.”

  Rafe and I both stared open mouthed at him. “What?” I questioned.

  “You had a momentary lapse of judgment. It happens.”

  My eyebrows shot up. “So you’re not angry I’ve been suspended for a week?”

  “I’m not thrilled with the idea, but I’m not angry.” Gabriel gave me a long look. “I would assume the remorse you feel right now is far worse than any admonishment I could give you.”

  “Yes,” I murmured.

  He nodded. “Come on, let’s get you home.”

  Sophie and Rafe walked out into the hallway with us. “Are you going to be all right?” Sophie asked me, her face full of concern.

  “I’m fine,” I answered. Truthfully, I worried more about Abby than I did myself.

  She nodded. “Well, Rafe, shows over. Let’s get back to class.”

  He grinned. “Okay.” He touched me on the shoulder. “Take it easy, man.”

  “I will.”

  I followed Gabriel out the door. When we got inside the car, Gabriel turned to look at me. “Let it go, Elijah.”

  “I’m trying to.”

  “It happens to all of us, myself included. We may be angels, but as long as we’re in human form, those human emotions will override everything else,” Gabriel said.

  “It’s just I’m worried about Abby.”

  “Abby?”

  I nodded. “It was the look on her face after she saw me fighting Landon. She looked like she was ashamed of me.”

  Gabriel shook his head. “I’m sure it was just your imagination. I can’t fathom Abby being angry with anything you do. She cares about you too much for that.”

  “I hope so,” I murmured, staring out the window.

  “And just in case you’re concerned, the Dominion isn’t upset about you fighting today.”

  My face flushed when I realized I hadn’t even given them a thought—Abby was all I could think of.

  “Oh, um, okay. Thanks.”

  “Just don’t let it happen again, or we will have a problem,” he warned.

  I nodded as he pulled up to the house and let me out on his way back to church. After the car pulled away, I went outside and sat down on the deck. I don’t know how long I sat staring out at the water. Suddenly, I heard a voice behind me. “Hey there.” I turned to see Abby standing in the doorway.

  “Hey.”

  She came over and sat down beside me in the glider. When I glanced over at her, I saw the concern on her face. “How are you doing?”

  “I’m fine,” I answered.

  Abby reached out to tenderly run her fingers over my throbbing cheek. “Looks like you’re bruising pretty badly.”

  I shrugged her away. “I’ll live.”

  She smiled. “Yeah, you’re a lot tougher than I thought.”

  “Just cut to the chase, Abby. Are you angry with me?”

  She stared at me in surprise. “How could I be angry with you?”

  “For fighting Landon.”

  “But you were taking up for me,” she protested.

  “I could’ve found a better way that didn’t involve violence.”

  “No one has ever done anything like that for me before.” Abby glanced down at her hands. “If anyone should be angry, it’s you.”

  “Why?” I asked, incredulously.

  “You got suspended from school for defending me.”

  “It was worth it, Abby.”

  “I’m not sure Gabriel feels the same way.”

  “No, it’s okay. He was pretty understanding.”

  “I’m glad.” She smiled at me. “You’re really a knight in shining armor, aren’t you?”

  “Beating up a guy is hardly chivalrous,” I argued, disgusted with the thought.
>
  Abby shook her head. “You really don’t get it, do you? Most girls would kill for a guy like you.”

  I shifted uncomfortably in the glider. “I don’t know about that.”

  “No, it’s true. Andrea and Kim are always talking about what a sweet, awesome guy you are.” She paused to gage my reaction, but I didn’t respond. “But you’re never going to have a girlfriend if you keep hanging around me.”

  “But I don’t care about a girlfriend.”

  “You don’t?” Abby questioned.

  I shrugged. “I like being around you.”

  She peered curiously up at me. “So why don’t you have a girlfriend?”

  “I don’t know. I just don’t.”

  “Have you ever had a girlfriend?”

  Blushing, I shook my head. I searched my brain for something to say to that would get her off this totally mortifying subject of my total lack of dating experience.

  “What about kissing? Have you ever kissed a girl?”

  “No.”

  It wasn’t hard to gage Abby’s total shock at my response considering her wide-eyed, open-mouth expression. With a sheepish grin, I said, “I guess that makes me a real loser, doesn’t it?”

  “No, Elijah. There’s nothing about you that’s a loser. It’s just hard to imagine.” We sat in an uncomfortable silence. Abby kept biting her lip like she wanted to say something. “Would you like to?” she questioned in a whisper.

  My brows furrowed. “Like to what?”

  “Kiss a girl.”

  “Of course!” I blurted. I instantly ducked my head. My teenage emotions had betrayed my rational side with lightening speed, and I felt both guilty and mortified.

  But Abby’s next three words sent my heart into a full gallop.

  “Why not now?”

  I stared at her. “W-what?”

  “Why don’t you kiss me?” she asked, a small smile fluttering on her lips.

  “YES!” the voice in my mind screamed. I fought the urge to dive over on her, to wrap my arms around her and lay one on her like I’d seen in the movies a hundred times before. “No, I don’t think that’s a good idea.” The teenage side may have harbored few doubts about whether it was a good idea, but my angel side knew it wasn’t a good idea. I didn’t know what might happen once I crossed the line with Abby, especially since I was toying with the idea of transcending for her.