Milayna's Angel (6 page)

“Have the group come over tomorrow for pizza
and a movie. We can talk with them then and see if anyone else is
having any visions. We’ll tell them the importance of no one being
alone… not just you, Milayna. None of you should be alone right
now. Not until we know what’s going on.” My dad rubbed a hand over
his face.

“Jonathan Jackson, what’s the matter?” my
mother asked. I cringed when she used my dad’s full name. She did
the same thing to my brother and me when we were in trouble.

“Rachael, it’s nothing to worry—”

“Don’t tell me it’s nothing to worry about,
John. If it involves Azazel and a member of my family, it is
something to worry about.”

My dad told my mom what we’d discussed. I
didn’t want to think about it anymore and wandered upstairs to my
bedroom. When I walked in, I heard my cell phone vibrating in its
charger. I picked it up and read the text.

Chay:
What’s wrong?

I smiled.

Me:
Nothing. What’s up with you?

Chay:
Milayna, I know something is going
on.

Me:
Wanna come over for pizza
tomorrow?

Chay:
Yes.

Me:
Good. The group is coming.

“That oughta get him going,” I whispered in
the empty room.

Chay:
I knew something was wrong.

5

“Can you guys come over tonight for a movie
and pizza?” I asked the group at lunch the next afternoon.

“If there’s pizza, I’m there,” Drew said.

“Sure, what’s up?” Muriel looked at me,
brushing her black hair from her eyes.

“We just need to talk. No biggie.” I shrugged
a shoulder.

We fell silent when Xavier approached our
table and sat down.

***

That evening, we met at my house. My mom
fluttered around the kitchen like a hummingbird making sure
everyone had enough pop and pizza to keep them fed for a week. She
hovered when she was nervous. And Azazel definitely made her
nervous.

“Okay, why are we here? What gives?” Jen
asked, a sassy, kick-ass tomboy who could beat down a demi-demon
without breaking a sweat. She was never one to mince words.

“Yeah, I’d like to know that myself,” Chay
said, looking pointedly at me. Glaring might be a better word. He’d
known something was wrong and was irritated I hadn’t told him, and
as the second-ranking demi in the group, he had a right to
know.

“Okay… let’s see. I’m not sure how to
start—”

“Just say it.” Jen pulled her shoulder-length
blonde hair into a ponytail and turned to look at me.

“The hobgoblins have been hanging around
again, telling me things aren’t over. Shayla said the same thing
yesterday at school. I’ve also been having visions of someone
trying to kill me. There. That’s it. Oh, and the hobgoblins said
that, quote, ‘
he is coming
.’” I made little air quotes with
my fingers before dropping my hands and shrugging a shoulder.
“Whatever that means.”

They all stared at me for what seemed like
hours. I squirmed under their gaze.

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Chay rubbed his
hand over the back of his head, mussing his hair, and all I could
focus on was that I wanted to be the one running my fingers through
it.

Focus, Milayna.

“I’m telling you now. Things just started
heating up yesterday. And besides, you knew the hobgoblins were
here.”

“I didn’t know about the visions,” he said
quietly.

“So I guess what I want to know is if anyone
else has had a visit from the hobgoblins or if you are having
visions.” They all said no to both.

I’m the only one having visions. And, so far,
the goblins have only visited me. I feel so special… yeah,
right.

Dropping his pizza on his plate and pushing
it away, Drew said, “Well, we need to decide what we’re going to
do.”

My dad was the highest-ranking angel before
he left his seat on the Iri Council and came to live on earth,
which made me the highest-ranking demi-angel in our group. As the
highest-ranked demi, I was the leader of the group—not that I
particularly liked the position. I made sure we made decisions
together.

“My dad wants us to stay together, for none
of us to be alone, just like three months ago. We’d have to alter
our schedules, change our routines. Make sure we’re always within
reach of another demi in case we needed them.”

“Sounds good,” Jen agreed. The others
nodded.

“Then that’s what we do,” Drew said. “Problem
solved. Until we know what Azazel is up to, we pair up. No one is
alone. We’re either with another group member or with our angel
parent. At all times.”

Luckily for us, sticking together wasn’t hard
to do. The five of us lived in the same subdivision, within two
streets of each other. Demi-angels tended to gravitate to one
another. We stayed close because we were stronger as a team. Alone,
we were weak and easily susceptible to Azazel and his groupies. We
also drew comfort from each other. Comfort we didn’t feel around
humans or anyone on Azazel’s team.

Muriel, my cousin and best friend, lived
directly across the street from me. Chay lived on the block behind
me and two houses to the right. Drew and Jen lived next door to
each other on the next street over from Chay.

“Okay, now that we’ve decided what to do, we
need to make sure to tell each other if we have any visits from
little red goblins or demis of any kind. We need to know what’s
going on with each other.” Chay looked at me. “That includes you,
Milayna.”

I rolled my eyes.
Like I don’t already
know that.

“I’ll pick you two up in the morning,” Drew
told Muriel and Jen when it was time for them to leave.

“No, I’ll pick you guys up. My car is
cleaner. Drew’s is like a petri dish,” Muriel said.

“It’s not that bad.”

“Yes, it is. You have things growing in
there! I think I’ve actually seen something moving.”

Jen looked at me and shook her head. “I wish
they’d just kiss and get it over with already. So much drama.” She
followed Drew and Muriel down the front steps to her car.

Chay looked at me. “I’ll pick you up
tomorrow.”

“Good.” I smiled. He didn’t smile back.

“You should have told me.”

“I’m sorry.”

Pulling me into his arms, he hugged me to
him. He laid his cheek on the top of my head. “Whatever is going on
will work out. He doesn’t have any power over you. Keep reminding
yourself of that.”

He hooked his fingers through the belt loops
of my jeans and pulled me even closer to him. Lowering his head, he
kissed me slowly and I forgot I was standing in my living room with
my parents only one room away. I put my palms on his chest, gently
pushing him away.

“I think I’d better go before I give your dad
a reason to kick me in the ass.”

“Yeah. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“I can’t wait.” He smiled at me then. With
one last kiss, he turned and walked to his car, swinging his keys
around his fingers.

***

Chay jumped the back fence and walked to the
patio table where I was sitting, elbow on the table, chin resting
in my hand.

“How long have they been here?”

“Oh, about an hour,” I said.

“Have they said anything?” Chay straddled a
chair next to me.

“Other than singing in their weird little
language, nothing.”

“Well, I guess all we can do is wait until
they get tired of playing around and tell us what they’re doing
here. Wanna make out while we wait?”

“Sure.” I angled my body toward him.

He framed my face with his hands and leaned
in for a kiss.

“Eh, really? You’re gonna do that now?”
Scarface said, disgusted.

“Now? They pick now to talk. Classic.” Chay
dropped his arms and leaned back.

I smiled at him and shrugged a shoulder.
“There’s always when they leave.”

“Not if you leave with us,” Friendly said in
his, well, friendly tone.

“Not gonna happen.” I shook my head.

Why do they keep asking? I didn’t side with
Azazel three months ago, and I’m not going to now. Geez, do they
not know the definition of the word ‘no’?

“By the time his plan is finished, you’ll be
begging to side with us. Things are getting fun now.” Scarface
smiled his grotesque, deformed smile and disappeared.

Friendly ran through the yard one last time,
picking up snow and throwing it up in the air before he disappeared
in a small puff of white smoke.

“Interesting.” Chay tapped his finger on the
patio table. “I never thought I’d say this, but it kinda kills the
mood.”

“I know, right?” I laughed.

He turned to face me. Leaning in, I thought
he meant to kiss me. He ran his finger lightly down the side of my
face and smiled. It didn’t quite meet his eyes. There I saw worry,
maybe sadness. “Whatever this is, it’ll work out, Milayna.”

That’s the second time he’s said that. Is he
trying to convince me or himself?

“I know.” I shivered as his finger glided
down my skin.

“I need to go. I’ll pick you up
tomorrow.”

“‘Kay.”

He gave me a quick kiss and jumped the back
fence, trotting across the neighbors’ lawns to his yard.

He’s in trouble if they ever get a dog.

***

Chay was getting pops from the vending
machines. I was sitting at the lunch table alone, surprised I was
allowed. Since our meeting Wednesday, the group had been fanatical
about making sure no one was alone. Ever. Me in particular since
the threats, once again, seemed to center around me. I guess I was
popular in the underworld. It wasn’t the kind of popularity I was
looking for. Demons for friends? No thanks.

I felt the bench move and smelled unfamiliar
cologne next to me. I stiffened. Turning slowly, I let out an
irritated sigh. Xavier.

“Don’t sneak up on people like that,” I said,
annoyed.

I was getting tired of him sitting with us
every lunch period. It was the one time in our day that we could be
ourselves. We didn’t have to worry about what we said. We all knew
what each other was, there were no secrets, we didn’t have to speak
in code so others wouldn’t know what we were talking about, we
didn’t have to pretend, and it felt good. But with Xavier there, we
had to keep things quiet. We couldn’t go around telling people we
were demi-angels. We’d sound like fools and end up medicated in a
white, padded cell, drooling into a cup.

“I know,” he whispered close to my ear.

I swatted him away. “You know what?”

“Who you are. That’s why I hang around.”

“What are you talking about?” I looked down
at my lunch tray so I didn’t have to face him.

“You’ll see tomorrow.”

Nice, another cryptic message. I really need
a decoder ring to figure these things out.

Chay walked up, and we stopped talking. He
gave Xavier a dirty look—seems I wasn’t the only one tired of him
hanging around—and sat down on the other side of me.

Slowly, the others drifted in. Drew and Jen
were still in line paying for their lunches when Muriel sat down
next to Xavier. When Drew walked to the table, he rolled his eyes.
Another one who was tired of seeing Xavier, especially when he sat
next to Muriel.

He really needs to tell her he likes her. Or
maybe just grab her and kiss her until they’re both dizzy and
neither of them can see straight. That’d do it.

Jen was right behind Drew and sat on the
other side of Chay. “So I talked to Lily today.” Her tone was
neutral.

My heart lurched. Lily. An Evil. She was the
first of our group who turned traitor and switched sides.

“Yeah? What about?” Chay asked around a bite
of burger.

Jen sucked salad dressing from her fingers,
making smacking sounds with her lips. “Oh, not much. She said she’d
be paying a visit to Milayna in the next few days. Has she talked
to you?” she asked, leaning around Chay to look at me.

“Nope. Haven’t seen her in weeks.”

Paying me a visit? Ugh, that could only mean
one thing. A fight. And if we’re fighting, it’s because Azazel
wants to distract us. But who’s he after?

“Well, I’m sure she’ll give you a call.”

“Yeah.” I forced a smile. “I’m sure she will.
I can’t wait.”

Xavier excused himself from the table and
went to buy a dessert.

He eats more than everyone at the table
combined but is still lean—and he doesn’t have bad pecs either…
Stop it! I’m not supposed to notice.

“So what else did Lily say?” Muriel asked Jen
quickly before Xavier got back to the table.

“That was it, really. Other than Jake would
be visiting with her.”

Great. That definitely means a fight.

Jake. Another one of our team who jumped ship
in favor of Azazel’s way of life. He was by far the meanest of the
five that left. Azazel seemed to transfer some of his pure evil
straight into Jake’s bloodstream. He turned vicious, like a rabid
dog. His need to hurt the group was insatiable. He wasn’t only
evil, he was sadistic. He scared me more than Azazel. Azazel
couldn’t touch me—Jake could, and he seemed to enjoy it.

“That’ll be fun.” Chay reached for my hand
and threaded his fingers with mine.

“Maybe that’s what the hobgoblins meant when
they said he was coming.” I ran my thumb over the top of Chay’s
hand.

“Maybe,” Chay said, not looking at me.

***

“Milayna, can you run to the store for me?”
my mom asked.

“Sure, what do you need?”

“Just a few things to go with dinner—some
lettuce, cheese, corn chips, olives—”

“What are we having for dinner?” I
laughed.

“Taco salad.”

“Do you have a list for me?” She handed me a
piece of paper. “Okay, I’ll be right back.”