Chapter Three

“Winters?” I ask, tilting my head a bit.

“Yeah, I think you knew my mother, Saelah Winters,” Diana speaks up.

Her mother was good friends with my parents and tried to help me when I was convicted of being a threat to the world.

“I didn’t know she had a daughter,” I say. I can’t stop thinking about the name though, it was familiar when I first met her mom too. I still can’t place where I know it from.

“She doesn’t talk about me much, says she’s protecting me.”

“Yeah, members of the Council are not supposed to speak of their children because it could put them in danger if they have unwelcome eavesdroppers.”

“My mother told me a lot about you,” she says, “your parents too.”

I bite my cheek until it hurts. “Yeah,” is all I can manage.

“Well, I’m glad that you two have a lot in common. Now Diana you have been informed of what will be happening this year correct?” The headmaster says.

“Yeah,” she nods.

“Good, now Luciana take her to your room. You have the same classes so you two will be around each other a lot,” he explains.

I nod and walk towards the door quickly.

“Luciana,” I hear the headmaster say in a warning tone. I groan in frustration and walk back towards him.

He holds out his hand and I shove the decanter into his palm. He shakes his head, pursing his lips in disappointment.

I turn on my heel and stalk out the double doors. I storm down the hallway muttering curse words to myself.

“What was that about?” I hear a voice ask from beside me. I look over to see Diana walking with me.

“Mr. Woodrow can read thoughts and speak in someone else’s mind. I'm trying to prove that I can outsmart him by taking something out of his office without him catching me,” I tell her with a mischievous smirk.

“And have you figured it out yet?” She asks.

I sigh. “No, in order to do it, I would have to take it without thinking about it,” I mutter.

“Well I’ll help you try sometime,” she says with a smile.

I feel the corners of my lips lift a little. “That might be fun,” I tell her as we come to my door.

“Well here we are, I took the top bunk—hope you don’t mind.”

“Not at all, I actually prefer the bottom one so that’s fine,” she says and I flash my wrist across the scanner.

“Did they give you your ID chip yet?” I ask, pushing open the door.

“Yeah, I actually got a tracking chip behind my ear as well,” she says and I chuckle.

“What’s so funny?” She asks.

“I thought I was the only one with extra chips but I guess not,” I say with a shrug and walk inside.

“Wow, you definitely have a nice room,” she says, looking around in surprise.

“I have my own bathroom too, with a shower and everything,” I tell her and she grins.

“Sweet, I absolutely hate those public showers we normally have to use,” she says with a shudder.

I laugh lightly, grabbing my stuff for class. “Do you have everything?” I ask her.

She nods and I suddenly notice the bag slung over her shoulder. “What class do we have first?”

“History, great start to the day huh?” I mutter sarcastically.

She chuckles, following me into the hall. “I actually love history—don’t really like having it in the morning but oh well.”

“What’s so great about history?” I murmur.

“The stories are fascinating. I love learning about other species and the past is just so much more interesting,” she says, her eyes lighting up as she talks.

“Great, you will be helping me do my homework then,” I tell her and she smiles.

“Only if you help me with math. Mr. Woodrow says you’re a mathematical genius.”

“Did he now?” I smirk as we turn a corner.

“Yeah, apparently you have a 107% in your class.” She shrugs, confused.

“Now it’s actually a 112% but whatever. It’s a deal then, you help me in history and I’ll help you in math,” I say with a smile.

She returns it and stops as we come up to a door.

I sigh. “This is it, the teacher is Ms. Corwin, she has a pretty bad temper so try to stay on her good side and you’ll do just fine,” I suggest before sitting down in the back corner of the classroom.

My table is actually moved away from the other tables and it is the darkest part of the room. At the beginning of the year someone broke the light above my seat and the school decided it wasn’t necessary to fix.

I suddenly see Diana walking towards me and my eyes widen in panic.

I quickly shake my head and she frowns. I increase the intensity of my gaze and shake my head again.

Her eyebrows furrow but she turns away.

I close my eyes and sigh in relief when she sits on the other side of the room. There are a few students I don’t know sitting around her but I soon realize they must be transfer students like her.

The room is just about split even, with light angels on one side and dark on the other. You don’t often see the two mix; producing a hybrid is punishable by death so angels learn at a young age to stay separated.

Ms. Corwin enters the room and I lean my head against the wall. She starts talking about what we will be doing this year, earning groans from everyone in the class, except Diana.

She smiles a little but manages to keep the attention away from her for the most part. I glance around the class, happy to see that no one is looking at me either.

My contentment doesn’t last long as a crumpled up piece of paper lands near my feet. I look around for the source just as another one comes flying towards me.

It takes everything I have to not catch it and to just let it hit me square in the face. A few people laugh and high five the boy who threw it.

“Nice shot Zayn,” one praises, fist bumping him.

“Thanks, it was too easy though, she has no reflexes whatsoever,” he snorts.

I resist the urge to roll my eyes and try to ignore them.

“Hey bitch!” Zayn calls. He is one of my worst tormentors and by far the dumbest.

I slowly turn my head, clenching my jaw. “What?” I grit out.

“Did she just answer to bitch?” One of his lackeys mutters in disbelief.

“Duh, that’s her name stupid. Why did we see you walking with one of the new kids? I thought Mikayla told you to stay away from them so we don’t set a bad example,” Zayn spits.

My eyes widen in panic. “Her room is next to mine, Mr. Woodrow asked me to show her where the classrooms are,” I say with a nonchalant shrug.

“Well how about we ask Mr. Woodrow, because I think you’re lying, and if you are, just know that I don’t like being deceived.”

“Go ahead,” I scoff.

He narrows his eyes at me before turning around to watch Ms. Corwin again. I roll my eyes as he looks away, fighting the urge to jam my pencil into his head.

I bury my face in my hands as frustration fills my mind. 

What if they find out Diana and I are roommates? What will they do to Diana?

***

I hear a beep as I flash my wrist across the ID scanner and push open the door. A hand on my shoulder has me whipping around in an instant.

My fist comes up but I relax when I see Diana.

“Damn you scared me,” I hiss, putting a hand over my furiously beating heart.

“Were you going to punch me?” She shrieks and I shrug.

I blow out a heavy breath as I walk into the teachers' lounge, Diana right behind me.

“Why are you in here? It’s lunch isn’t it?” She questions.

“I don’t know if you just haven’t paid attention or if you're just plain mean, but they don’t like me here. They think I'm a criminal because I have no wings but I'm not allowed to tell them the real reason because the council would have me put to death. I try to avoid them as much as possible and you should do the same unless you want to be treated the same,” I grit out, my jaw clenched angrily.

I stalk to the kitchen and leave her gaping at me in the hallway. Ripping open the fridge, I snatch a sandwich and stuff it into my mouth.

“It’s not right for them to treat you badly just because you don’t have your wings,” she mutters and I purse my lips in annoyance.

“You came from the rehabilitation center right?"

"Yeah, so?"

"So why are you so nice to me? Why were you even in there?” I ask, handing her a sandwich.

I wait for an answer but she just stares at me with wide eyes. “Well?”

“I’m not supposed to talk about it,” she murmurs, casting her gaze into the floor.

“Fine, I won’t ask again. But you seriously shouldn’t be nice to me, or hang out near me, or you will be treated just like I am—maybe worse."

“I will talk to Mr. Woodrow and try to figure out a reason as to why we spend so much time together.”

I shrug as I finish my food. “Or you could just stay away from me, that'd be easier," I mutter.

“Yeah not gonna happen," she says firmly. "I refuse to partake in that kind of behavior."

I frown, my eyes locking onto my feet. "Everyone says that until they realize I'm not worth it," I growl under my breath but she doesn’t hear.

"So what class do we have next?” She asks, swallowing the last of her lunch.

“Flight Training,” I sing with mock excitement.

“Why do you have flight training if—never mind. You don’t have to answer that,” she says quickly but I wave it away.

“Don’t worry about it, Flight Training is a required class, wings or not,” I tell her with an understanding look.

“Are you sure?” She asks nervously.

I nod making her sigh in relief. “We should probably get going, we have a little more than five minutes before class starts.” I lead Diana down the hallways and stairs until we reach the girls’ lockers room.

I lean against the wall, waiting for her to change into her clothes before we head out to the gymnasium. The girls’ gym outfits consist of grey fitted halter top shirts, spandex shorts or yoga pants, and sneakers. The guys aren’t wearing shirts at all, simply shorts or sweat pants along with a pair of sneakers.

The gym is full of angels already, light on one side, dark on the other, just like usual.

I lean against the wall, unconsciously staring at their wings with envy. Diana’s wings are some of the most beautiful I have ever seen: deep black with an almost red tint to them. They drag a few inches on the ground and I won’t be surprised if hers are the biggest here.

I tear my eyes away from her wings to Mr. Night calling for attention. “Today we are going to continue our preliminary skill tests, we will go outside and you will fly as high as you can before flying as fast as you can, and tomorrow we will test strength, we’re going to start with Jadyn so you transfers can see what you’re supposed to do,” he announces and everyone immediately starts chattering excitedly.

We all follow him outside to the massive green field behind the academy. I move aside from the group, settling onto the ground at the top of the hill where the grass in unkempt and grows taller than me.

I smile a little at the beautiful scene. The grass bends in the wind and the light gleams on the dew drops that stick to the leaves of tiny flowers.

My smile falls when I’m struck with the familiarity of it all. 

Moonlight reflected off her eyes, making them shine even though they were dull.

A tear rolled down my cheek and fell into the dirt beside her before I could wipe it away.

“They’re coming Luci,” I heard my father say gruffly. I glanced up to see unshed tears turning his brown orbs glossy.

He was staring at my mother with his face contorted in pain; his fists were clenched and he was shaking, but in sadness or anger I didn’t know.

“We have to go Dad,” I said, rubbing my eyes as I started to walk away.

When I didn’t hear his footsteps following I turned back and grabbed his arm. “Let’s go! We have to get out of here before they find us!” I yelled, trying to pull him away but he didn’t even move a centimeter.

“Go ahead Luciana, I will follow in a few minutes, I just need to say goodbye really quick,” he said.

I nodded slowly. I ran through the tall grass for several minutes, only stopping when I heard a sudden cry.

I looked back and saw a circle of angels in the sky, my father flying in the center. In a flash of silver and red, all of the angels suddenly fell out of the sky, their screams chilling me to the bone.

My father yelled angrily before flying straight into the oncoming horde of guard angels, his silver sword drawn and thirsting for blood. He brought down over a dozen angels before being struck with an arrow.

I let out a horrible scream as his massive wings collapsed and his body went limp. I watched as he fell to the ground, my mouth open in pure horror.

He didn’t follow.

My chest seizes up and suddenly I can’t breathe. I clench my jaw, closing my eyes and trying to stay calm while my muscles relax. Several moments pass before I can completely move again.

It feels like my entire body was just crushed under a rock and I am forced to get up slowly.

I stretch out my muscles quickly before moving a little closer so I can watch the remaining tests.

I shake my head a little as the students fail miserably. It’s their first attempt of the year but considering most are nearly 18 it’s a little pathetic that they can’t even reach the clouds.

“Diana Winters!” I hear Mr. Night call out and Diana walks up to him to take her test. Her eyes meet mine and I give her a reassuring nod. She smiles before spreading her wings to their full span. I hear several surprised comments at how large her wings are, but in a gust she is high in the air.

Mr. Night quickly follows her into the sky, an altimeter in his hand. They fly beyond my view before coming back down. He then tests her speed and my eyebrows shoot up when I realize it’s one of the shortest I have ever seen.

“Okay, very impressive Ms. Winters, let’s see who is next? Daniel Blackthorne!” He yells out and I look around in confusion at the unfamiliar name.

The crowd of students suddenly parts and my jaw drops. A literal god walks up to Mr. Night and even he seems to be surprised. His bare chest is sculpted and tan, his muscles rippling along his entire body with every movement.

His hair is jet black and his eyes are a very dark blue. His jawline is sharper than a blade and he reeks of raw power. I feel my hands shake at just the sight of him.

He nods to Mr. Night and his wings stretch out, making me gape in awe. They are the color of ink, a solid black and stretch out a several meters, practically unheard of for starter wings.

I suddenly feel a gust of wind and he vanishes into the sky. Mr. Night can’t even come close to keep up with him and it is several minutes before they come back to the ground.

I stare at him in disbelief, maybe too hard because he turns around to look at me. His dark blue eyes lock with mine and they suddenly turn black. I blink in shock but when I open my eyes they are back to blue.

I see him mutter a word before turning away and it has my mind reeling in confusion.

“What the hell does he mean by mate?”