7

~Ali~

"What do you mean you're right?" I spout. The only thing the search is bringing up are links related to celestial beings. Is it really so hard to believe that I do not see the connection here?

"Okay, go into this website." Jaz's finger points to the second link on my laptop. I hover the cursor over the hyperlink and hesitate for a moment before double clicking. "Read the passage out loud, while I think about all of this."

I clear the tension from my throat and read dubiously. "Ethan Hamon - a high ranking, powerful angel," I stumble over the word 'angel' and look to Jaz, torn between bewilderment, disbelief and laughing right in her face. But she shakes her head and tells me to carry on. "Hamon is described as a gallant and esteemed Prince of the Heavens. Jaz, you must be kidding me! Have you gone completely insane?"

"You don't think I know how crazy this sounds? Trust me, out of everybody on this planet, I know how crazy it all sounds." And at the slightly crazed empathy in her voice, I am suddenly sure that for some reason she does know. "But what I am trying to get across to you is that Ethan Hamon is not just any angel. He is a Prince Angel. But for complicated reasons that I have not fully grasped, he is currently working as a Guardian Angel. And at present, he is working as your Guardian Angel." The expression on my face must be something between incredulity and  hysteria because Jaz's features soften into something tender. "Come, let's get some fresh air."

I walk on autopilot following the back of Jaz's feet towards the small orchard tucked away behind the social sciences department. Sometimes I voice the questions shouting in my head and other times I smother them down, ruminating the thought further.

As we lift the rusty lock on the gate the crisp smell of apples, plums and pears sweetens the air in an enticing, heavy aroma. A fallen plum squishes under my foot as Jaz closes the wooden gate behind us with a creak. We walk straight ahead, cutting a path that bisects the orchard plot as we navigate the dense root systems and duck beneath the low hanging branches weighed down by beads of shining fruits.

"Before you say anything Ali, I just want you to hear me out, okay? Then you can say or call me whatever you like. I am going to be painfully blunt right now because honestly, I don't do these soft blow explanations." She pauses for a moment to catch her breath, so worked up over the matter. "If what you are telling me about Ethan is true, then you have what they call The Gift." I stare at her blankly, her words blurring inside my head like my brain is a shaken snow globe, my thoughts the snowflakes. "Alright, I see you are still not getting this. Let me explain it another way. There are billions and billions of Guardian angels in the world, right? In fact, one for almost every person. On earth, each angel is cloaked in a glamour, which acts like Harry Potter's invisible cloak."

"That reference would have had a stronger impact on someone who has seen Harry Potter."

"You haven't seen - ?" Jaz catches herself, knowing that it is deviating from her explanation.  "Not the point. As I was saying, their glamour is like an invisibility sheet that works similar to a one-way mirror; the Guardian can see their human, but the human can't see their Guardian. Understanding so far?" I nod curtly and cross my arms across my chest, suddenly feeling like I am being watched from the shadows. "Right, so The Gift reveals itself when a person reaches their catalyst age - yours was nineteen. Having The Gift means that that person has the ability to see through the glamour to their Guardian Angel, hence why Ethan appeared from nowhere on the morning of your birthday. The Gift is a birthright and not something that can be acquired or taken away."

Although it is all starting to make hazy sense, something is suspicious about Jaz's level of knowledge. "And how do you know all of this?"

"You are not the only special human around here," she winks and my eyebrows drift upwards, so sure that I couldn't have been surprised again today. "Only a hand full of people have it at one time, but the ones who preach about their Gift are usually are diagnosed with some form of mental illness and stuck on a routine of pills. Society has always found it easier to ignore possibility than to explore it."

"So what you are trying to tell me is that I can see angels - because Ethan is an angel? And that you can see angels, too?" My body numbs at the thought and I instantly feel stupid at the small part of me that starts to believe this.

"Yes. That is exactly what I am telling you." My silence spurs her on. "Where do you think he got that feather from, Ali?" She challenges and I rack my brain for a half-believable answer. And then it all begins to click into place, the response she is attempting to push me towards. It is almost painful to gather my thoughts and string them into a coherent sentence.

"You think it came from his... wing?" I choke on the words as they fall from my mouth in a hard and brittle lump. Jaz slowly nods, sombre in her sobriety and the reality of the situation begins to permeate into my brain.

"But why would he give me his feather? That is so strange. And painful!" Just the thought of tearing a quill that thick and vibrant from his flesh has me wincing.

"The moment I saw the feather I knew exactly what it was. I know because I have seen Jack's - he is my Guardian - and as you can tell, a feather like that does not exist on Earth. There is an old tale about the gift of a feather in angel lore. An angel feather in the Kingdom is a token of affection, you know, like 'I give myself to you' sort of thing. But please don't get any weird ideas from this. I should tell you now just in case that romantic relations between mortals and immortals are completely forbidden. That is part of the reason why I am so angry at Ethan; as Prince he should know better!"

"I don't have the metal capacity right now to even fathom anything along the lines of affections, so we can scrap that part." The idea of an angelic romance in itself is incomprehensible. "What I want to know is why can I only see Ethan if he isn't the only angel on Earth?"

"You can see Ethan without trying, as I can see Jack because they are our assigned angels. But to see another person's Guardian Angel they must remove their glamour for you."

"So, Jack could be standing right next to me and I wouldn't even know it, unless he takes his glamour away?" The thought is off putting, knowing that there are celestial beings roaming all over the planet but never knowing quite where they are there.

"Yes but he is not next to you, I promise," she laughs, looking around. "He won't be far though, nor will Ethan be." At the reminder that Ethan is here, close, has me peering over my shoulder nervously, although I am not completely sure what I am nervous about.

"Do you want to hear something cool?" Judging by Jaz's expression she hopes to ease some of the tension with her next words. "You know that inner voice you have? That intuition that tells you what to do in tough situations?"

"Yeah, what about it?" Jaz raises her eye brows and smirks knowingly. "You are joking!" I exclaim, completely floored. "That is them?" She nods and I gasp, both amazed with the idea and suddenly feeling very exposed. It is a strange feeling to feel vulnerable inside of your own head, knowing someone is hearing every private thought.

"I know I am trying to lighten the mood at the minute because this is a life changing day for you but please don't take The Gift lightly. Having The Gift brings with it unimaginable dangers that you could have never anticipated." Her sobriety is awakening and I turn my ears to her. "I am not sure how to explain this in a way that won't freak you out, so I won't try to soften it. The soul of a Gifted human is very valuable amongst the Fallen angels; they use our lives as currency to enter the Underworld. That is all I will say for now, but be wary as to who you speak to about your Gift. I have only every trusted my angel and now you. This is a matter to be kept between us and our angels."

"How will I even know if a Fallen angel is near?" The idea of not being able to see them approaching could alone send me into cardiac arrest.

"Severed from The Kingdom and left on Earth, they have weakened - their glamour has been stripped so anyone can see them, even normal mortals. That is what is so deadly about them - they blend in with everybody else. The Fallen are actually the reason why I'm at Barmouth - Jack thought it was best if I kept moving, never staying in the same location for more than a year or two." A long moment passes where we regard each other and deep within myself I know that every word Jaz has spoken has been nothing but truth.

"Do you mind if we keep walking, please? Pacing usually helps me think." I begin walking deeper into the orchard and Jaz jumps to keep in step with me. She grants me the space and silence that my brain requires and we eventually pass through the orchard and onto another sports field through the other side. I pace around the perimeter of the empty field, close enough to the foliage hedging the field that I can run my hands over the waxy leaves as I walk. I can't remember how far we walked around the field when a bush rustles to my left. After everything that has been revealed to me today, I do not take the sound lightly because deep in the undergrowth, something is moving.

"It's probably a deer. You tend to see them around this time in the evening." Jaz  beckons me to keep walking. The rustling stops and wanting to believe her reasoning, I continue, putting some distance between myself and the greenery from here on out.

Not much later, the sun dissolves beyond the hills casting long shadows across the grass. The clouds marble with violets, reds and searing oranges as the sun sets below the horizon and we finally decide to head back to our room. We set about a quick pace, something about the chilling breeze and dark shadows giving me extra speed to my walking. Then Jaz slows and slows until she stops walking all together as she squints into the distance. I stop mid stride, backtracking to stand beside her as my nerves alight with fear.

"What was that?" I follow her gaze across the field, the shadows making it difficult to dissect a moving blur in the cover of dusk.

"What was what?" Jaz looks harder, cautious as she scans the thick foliage surrounding the field. A flock of birds burst from the trees behind us, screeching as they escape into the dim sky. Jaz spins towards the noise, breathing heavily as she does so. Something makes her turn back around, her gaze honing in on a particular umbra in the hedge line.

"There, in the leaves! Can you see it?" She shouts in a whisper, minutely stepping closer to me. I track her gaze and sure enough a dark mass slithers through the pool of foliage and branches. A sour taste rises to my throat and my heart is undecided as to whether it should beat outrageously fast or stop all together.

"Deer?" I squeak, stepping backwards. The leaves rustle again and the blackened hedge-line shudders as a man slips from the river of leaves. He emerges, his eyes fixed on us as he materialises and if I did not talk myself out of the impossibility of it, I could have sworn his eyes blazed crimson before dying back to their muted obsidian.

With my focus so preoccupied on the first silhouette appearing I fail to notice a second figure emerging off to the right. Both shadows stand in the gloomy evening light and look to each other for a long, tense moment. Some type of communication must have passed between them because the two men step forwards, forcing us to take a frightened one back.

Their gait is stiff and staggered as they increase their walk into a determined jog. My legs carry me in the opposite direction, not really sure where I am running to just as long as it is away. But my smooth-soled shoes cheat me of any traction across the damp grass and my running slows as Jaz catches up.

It all happens so fast. I look to Jaz who has caught up beside me, pumping her arms just as hard as I am when her ankles are tapped out from beneath her and she tumbles to the ground, rolling over the grass with her momentum. My foot slips on a patch of mud as I turn towards her and I stumble on the slick surface, breaking my run. In this moment a heavy weight knocks into me from behind and I am pushed through the air, my face thrust into the grass as I fall with a bulky weight over me.

A moment presents itself when the weight over me lightens as the man readjusts his hold around my shoulders. I roll myself onto my back and jar my knee between the his legs, pushing him away from me as I do so. Before he has even doubled over with pain, I hook my foot around his ankles and dislodge his stance so he topples to the floor. With him momentarily incapacitated, I scramble back onto my shaking legs. For some reason I look behind me before I start running again, glaring down to a face contorted with ugly irritation as he thrashes on the floor. He dutifully lifts himself from the grass, his joints clicking as he stands upright again. I break off at a sprint but he lunges and wrestles me to the floor with relative ease despite my bucking. He flips me onto my back and I flap like a fish out of water, trying to find any of his weaknesses I could exploit. But his weight settles over my chest and his knee comes under my chin, pressing tightly at my throat as he pins me to the ground. I feel my cheeks burn purple as I wheeze for breath, clawing at his thigh.

I roll my eyes to the side, the only part of my body that can move and try to catch a watery glimpse of Jaz, wondering if she is looking for me too. She is on the ground, trapped with her face pressed in the earth as a deceptively strong man leans over her with rope dangling from one hand. There is a deep whoosh like the start of a hurricane and then the man is gone in a blur of white. Branches crack and leaves crunch as Jaz's captor is thrown through the hedge-line, a gaping hole trimmed into the bushes where his body entered.

By this point it feels like my blood has been carbonated, bubbling through my veins and searing my vision red as his knee does not let up on its hold. My face swells like a blueberry and for a moment I accept that I am going to die.

And then I can breathe just as quickly as that man disappeared. My shrivelled lungs soak up the air like a dry sponge in a water bath. My tears dry on my face and the scene around me sharpens into focus. A deafening whoosh of air stirs up my clothes and hair as my captor is pummelled into the soggy ground several meters away.

Two men wrestle violently across the grass, their forms moving too fast for me to identify, even though I sense rather than see who my protector is. The dull thud of fists on flesh thumps through the air as they fight, patches of mud and grass being carelessly thrown around.

I look at Jaz for confirmation. She nods. That is my angel, even if his wings are not currently visible. With or without wings he still manages to look exquisitely ethereal in his swift, feline movements as he dodges fists and lands crippling blows. Thick, charcoal blood spurts as Ethan's knuckles collide with his opponent's nose. It sprays like a spilt ink pot over the floor, followed by a mouthful of black-stained spit, the give away that this is no ordinary man - these must be the Fallen angels. But Ethan is stronger than the Fallen and it does not take long until the man goes still under Ethan's hold, his breathing shallow but even as he loses consciousness. Looking at the length of discarded rope and their hidden positions in the bushes it is clear to determine that this was a planned attack so somehow, the Fallen already know about us.

The thrashing in the bushes where the first Fallen was catapulted through has gone silent, the leaves now still. Jaz rushes over to the hedge line and launches herself into empty air. She collides with an unseen force, hovering as if she was flying. With a final squeeze, her levitation act is over and she glides back to the floor, completely at ease. Jaz approaches me but one person quickly turns into two as a young man materialises from thin air beside her. It is a shocking display but I have little shock within me left to portray, so I gasp internally instead.

"Ali, this is Jack, my Guardian Angel." Jaz leans towards Jack and plucks a broken twig from the thick of his hair and flicks it away. "Jack, this is who I was telling you about, Ali."

Jack waves at me and I numbly wiggle a few fingers in response. Grunting, Ethan pushes himself away from the unconscious man under him and comes to stand beside me, his shoulder shrouding mine. At the scent of his sweat-slick skin and earthy aroma I have to keep my feet planted heavily onto the floor as to not do something inappropriate, like move closer.

"Is everybody okay?" Ethan's concern is outwardly projected towards everyone present, however his gaze is fixed steadfast on me. I brush some of the dirt off of my arms to keep myself occupied as to not catch his gaze for too long - I am quickly learning that being the centre of his attention does not do good things for my heart. Or maybe it does really good things, but that is not something I currently need to explore, as if I need anymore complications.

"Yes, I am fine," I reply shakily, suddenly overcome with the fact I am standing next to an angel - no, two angels. Jaz must be able to read my overwhelmed expression and steps in, pulling me into her side just as I feel a bought of tears brimming.

"I think Ali and I will meet you guys back at the dorm. It has been a big day so I think a slow walk will do us some good." I instantly appreciate the gesture and nod in response, turning my head away from the two boys, ashamed at my weakness. Ethan looks like he is about to protest but Jack thinks better of the situation and takes a hold of his arm, gently guiding him back.

"Come on Ethan, lets give them some space." Jack tugs Ethan away and they cross the playing field, although I doubt the leeway they are giving us is only illusionary.

We walk silently and the dark air washes out any remnants of anxiety and adrenaline until I am left tired and heavy as we enter our dorm. I fall ungracefully onto the couch and Jaz offers to make a brew of hot chocolate.

"Extra chocolaty please!" I shout and sink further into the cushions, cradling my head in my hands.

"I will even add marshmallows!" Jaz shouts and I smile into the pillows. Minutes later she comes from the kitchen holding two mugs with warm, sugary tendrils floating from the hot surface. I gather both mugs and Jaz spreads open a blanket over our laps as we flip on the TV and gently nurse our drinks.

A blissful hour passes as we settle ourselves into a heartfelt romance movie and with all the distractions I almost forget about everything that has happened. But it proves difficult to forget your new found knowledge about angels when one bangs against your window like a bug on the windscreen. The noise is loud and sudden and my milky drink sloshes in the ceramic mug as I jolt. Jack peels himself off of the glass and rubs his sore nose, while Jaz laughs at him stupidly. Ethan, balancing on a ledge outside grips onto the gutter pole and rolls his eyes.

I take Jaz's mug from her grasp and place them both on the floor as she lifts the sash window and lets Jack fall through head first. Ethan crawls behind, ducking under the wooden frame with the poise associated with an angel. Ethan drops the window back down behind him and latches it shut. I straighten my jumper and quickly adjust my hair over my shoulders before anyone notices my fiddling.

Jack, clearly comfortable in our room, dives onto Jaz's bed head first. He flips onto his back and cradles the back of his head in his hands as he sighs in contentment.

"Ali and I were just watching TV, do you guys want to watch something?" Jaz takes her place on the sofa again beside me, a pillow propped in her lap as she cradles it close. I grab the remote and sift through the channels for a gender-neutral program - unfortunately, that means no cheesy romantic comedies, much to our disappointment.

"Yeah, I'll watch TV," Jack agrees and springs out of bed, perching himself on the arm of the sofa beside Jaz. Ethan migrates to the sofa too and relaxes on the floor by my feet, leaning back against the couch. His left shoulder rubs against the outside of my calf and I inhale a wheezy breath through my nostrils, surprised at the warm buzz that flows through my skin.

I quickly settle on the next channel, my mind no longer preoccupied with everyone else's entertainment as I try to ignore Ethan's presence by my feet - a task that consumes all of my focus when his very being melts all of my brain cells.

This primal reaction I have to Ethan is not something Jaz warned me about and I periodically look over to her and Jack sitting amicably on the couch together, laughing without boundaries and wonder if she even feels this at all. The two joke and play like siblings, no sign of any nervous blushing or underlying tensions in their touches and so I wonder, why are Ethan and I so different?