“That I won’t know what to do—that I won’t know what is right from wrong when it comes to humans. And what if I let human emotions get in the way of—? What if I get too attached? What if—?” I paused, not really knowing what I said. “What if I do wrong by them? What if I suck at this?”
Zach placed an arm around my shoulders, giving me comfort. “That’s why I’m here. As humans say, I’ve got your back. We’ll figure it out one day at a time. I know this is overwhelming, but it’s the first mission that’s required us to stay for a longer duration of time. We’re bound to make mistakes, but with Uncle Davin’s guidance, we’ll be fine. Remember how much we wanted to come down and experience high school? Well, this is our chance.”
I remembered clearly. Uncle Davin used to talk about his high school experiences from when he’d come to Earth to protect our mother. He enjoyed it but said the teens’ lives were complex. He also reminisced about a Valentine’s Day dance, and his love of driving cars. Although he had fun pretending to be human, he claimed he wouldn’t want to be one. He said their lives were too complicated and they had too much to deal with; nevertheless, we still wanted to see what it was like. Zach was right. We might not get another chance.
“And keep in mind what Mother and Father told us before we left,” Zach continued.
I twitched my nose and pulled back a loose strand of hair fluttering in the wind. “‘Spread your wings, find your way, and soar as high as you can. Don’t be afraid. Love will guide you.’” Tears welled up in my eyes from missing my parents. Even to myself I seemed pathetic, a little bit lost and sad, yet excitement mixed with the sadness. Was it possible to feel all these emotions at once? Then I reassured myself I would be fine once school started. I would be too busy investigating and be back home soon.
Zach patted my shoulder. “That’s right. We’ll find our way.”
I agreed. “I just want to spread my wings and fly.”
Zach continuously tapped his feet on the roof as if contemplating my suggestion. “I’ve been itching to all day. No one can see us. It’ll be a short trip to the moon and back.”
A laugh burst out of me. “The moon is not that close.”
“You know what I mean.” Zach stood up and took off his T-shirt, rolled his shoulders back, and then gingerly spread out his alabaster wings like a beautiful flower blooming in high-speed mode. He’d unfolded them in the most graceful way I had ever seen him do it. Usually, they would pop right out. Instead he’d let each feather, almost identical to the next, open layer by layer, overlapping until his wings were fanned out. “Oh, that felt so good.” He moaned like humans did when they stretched their bodies. “Going up. I’ll meet you at the moon.” Zach soared up like a rocket blasting off.
The speed at which he flew would make him resemble a speck moving across the sky to human eyes. When he slowed his pace and rested in front of the moon, he created a heart-shaped shadow. Without a word, I inhaled a deep breath and caught up to him. It wasn’t fair Zach could just take off his T-shirt. My wings had to puncture my shirt every time I released them, which was why I had so many shirts.
What a magnificent view. The lights below illuminated the islands as brightly as the stars. It wasn’t as colorful and bright as Los Angeles or New York City, but it was still breathtaking.
“I stare at it too.” Zach floated next to me. “No matter how many times I see it, it always feels like the first time. It’s so peaceful here. You see the bigger picture and find the beauty of life. It gives you a different perspective.”
“I understand,” I murmured in awe, taking in the breeze ruffling the intricate sheets of my feathers. I relished the tranquility for as long as I could. Tomorrow we would have to fully assimilate into the human world of high school. It would be like learning the ways of a new culture—their mannerisms, their way of speaking, how they dressed, and what they celebrated. I hoped I could pull it off.
Chapter 3
My first day of high school was not what I had expected; it was way beyond. Excitement, nervousness, and every other emotion rushed through me. Undoubtedly, most students, including my brother, felt the same way. But some of the other students acted like they didn’t want to be there. I figured they had back-to-school jitters.
Hilo High had an open campus, meaning some of the hallways had shelter while other parts of the building didn’t. The inside ones were lined with lockers and blue and gold posters taped to the walls. Signs read Welcome Back to School, Go Vikings, Welcome Back Picnic, and Purchase Tickets for the Homecoming Dance.
We had registered for our classes and taken a tour of the campus with Uncle Davin and a counselor during our second day on Earth, so we were prepared, at least in that sense. When Uncle Davin had filled out our emergency forms, we weren’t there to see what he’d used for our last name. Angels didn’t have last names so we had to make one up. When I asked him what name he’d chosen, he said it was a surprise. Since it was my first time to attend school, I trusted him and didn’t pursue it.
Countless numbers of teenagers roamed the campus, laughing and smiling. With their backpacks anchored on their shoulders, they all seemed to come with a purpose and determination. As Zach and I cautiously walked together to our lockers, curious eyes followed us. They stared intensely enough to see right through us. They whispered to each other.
“Who’s that?”
“He’s hot.”
“She’s beautiful. I think they’re new to our school.”
“Never seen them before. Are they twins maybe?”
“I’d like to make out with him.”
“Maybe I can ask her to the homecoming dance.”
Sometimes I wished I didn’t have the power to hear their private conversations. Consumed by sensory overload, I tuned them out. Thank goodness I couldn’t read their minds.
“Zach. Lucia.” I knew that voice. Looking behind me, I saw Jack running toward us. His black backpack bounced against his back.
“Hi,” he greeted, out of breath. “You look beau—great.”
He’d started to say beautiful but must have changed his mind. Was there something wrong with my lavender dress that formed to my body and stopped before my knees? I had been pretty careful to stay within the school dress code.
Since I didn’t want to be rude, I smiled. “Hi. You look great too.”
Jack’s eyes widened, perhaps taken aback by my words. “I do? Thanks.”
Zach finally turned around after fidgeting with his locker combination. “Crap.” He rubbed the nape of his neck. “I didn’t mean to call you crap, Jack. This lock is driving me crazy.”
Jack scooted between us. “Here, let me help you. What’s your lock combo?”
“One, eleven, one.”
Zach carefully watched Jack turn the knob. “Thanks. I think I got it.” He turned to his right to see a group of girls surrounding him. I recognized one of the blondes, Vanessa, from the ice cream shop.
“Hey, Vanessa.” Jack sounded different than ever before, like he was trying and failing to exude confidence.
Vanessa offered no return greeting, but instead focused on Zach. She lustfully raked her eyes over my brother in his jeans and a white T-shirt with a sea turtle with waves design on the front.
“Hi. Remember me? We were wondering if you’re new to our school.” Vanessa looked over her shoulder to her friends, then back to Zach. “We don’t remember seeing you around last year.” She giggled, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear while her other arm clutched her books in front of her chest. “My name is Vanessa.”
“Yes, I’m new. My name is Zach.” Zach stood taller, with a demeanor I hadn’t seen in him before. He seemed livelier, and—oh my. He flirted back with his smile and the way he ran his fingers through his hair. I had told him when we were watching a movie that gesture was attractive, if done the right way—and he did it exactly like in the movie. “And so is my twin sister, Lucia.” He looked at me and then to the girls.
“Perfect.” She smile
d, batting her eyelashes. “See you around, Zach.” She ran her hand down my brother’s blue backpack as if she were stroking him. Then she shifted her attention to me. “It was nice to meet you, Lucia.”
I lifted my hand with a smile, a way of replying. Did they not know Jack? They hadn’t even spoken to him. When the sound of the bell rang loudly, I jerked, startled.
“It’s time to go to our homeroom first. I’ll lead the way,” Jack offered.
We followed him as eyes continued to follow us. Humans were such curious creatures. Maybe they stared because we were new. I guessed I could understand.
Jack and I had compared our schedules when we found out we were going to the same high school and found we had several classes together. I was grateful to have a friend like him.
Jack opened the door, painted blue to match the school colors. “Here we are.”
Again, all eyes were glued to us, so I shot mine to the polished white tiles. Jack headed toward the back of the room, and I intended to follow until...
“Zach, Lucia, over here.” Vanessa waved. Her smiling friends waved too. “Here’s empty seats.” She pointed beside her. “Zach can sit next to me, and Lucia, you can sit behind Zach.”
“Thanks.” Zach slid into his seat then dropped his backpack next to him.
I did the same, but then realized there was no seat for Jack. “Jack, where are you going to sit?” I turned to see Jack pointing to the back.
“I can sit there.” He crinkled his nose. “Don’t worry about me. I can walk you to English since we have first period together.”
“Okay.” I smiled, but I couldn’t help feeling a little regret because Vanessa hadn’t said anything to Jack. Why hadn’t she acknowledged him? Humans were so strange. She was nice to strangers, Zach and me, but not to someone she already knew.
While Zach struck up a conversation with Vanessa, I turned around to see if there were any other conversations I could eavesdrop on, possibly regarding missing children. As I listened to my classmates, I studied the room. A large map of the world covered the back wall, and above that were some posters with pictures of the presidents. A tall, white bookcase at the back left overflowed with textbooks. To the front left, an old wooden desk bore a globe, some colored pens, and a stack of paper on top. When I looked up at the whiteboard, the name there rang all sorts of warning bells. It read Mr. Davin President.
No way. It couldn’t be. I leaned over to tap Zach’s arm. When he didn’t turn around, I tugged his shirt. And when that didn’t work, I spoke to him through my mind, Look at the whiteboard. Don’t tell me you see the name Mr. Davin President.
That got my brother’s attention. He whipped his head to the front as the door swung open. A tall man with nice, broad shoulders, built like an angel and wearing a fine, navy tailored suit with a crisp blue-and-gold striped necktie, walked in. He was clean-shaven with slicked-back, ash-brown hair. Holding a black briefcase, he strode behind his desk like he owned the world. He was simply stunning.
Holy, Uncle Davin. What was he up to? Then I recalled him saying he’d always be watching us. I never thought in a million years he meant he would physically come to school and be one of the teachers. I couldn’t recall that ever being part of the plan the Divine Elders had discussed with us. But maybe they had with him. We lowly Venators sometimes got left out of the loop.
“Good morning, class. My name is Mr. Davin President. Or you can call me Mr. President.” His lips spread wickedly at us in an “I got you” kind of grin. And of course he would love everyone calling him Mr. President.
Holy crap. If his last name was President, and he was registered as our guardian, then—oh please, no. I took my class schedule out and scanned it for my name. At the bottom right, tiny words read Lucia President. No wonder I hadn’t seen it before. There was so much information on the paper, I’d only focused on the classes.
“I thought he was going to drop us off and go home,” Zach said.
“So did I.”
I ran my hand down my face in both embarrassment and amusement. I laughed to myself; Uncle Davin was the funniest angel I’d ever met. But sometimes he drove my parents nuts, and today I had found out why.
Thank goodness homeroom lasted just long enough to go over attendance and announcements. Jack came to us when the bell rang and tilted his head toward the front.
“You didn’t tell me your uncle taught here.” Jack’s eyes widened with his eyebrows pinched together. He was confused. So was I.
“Yeah, ummm, it happened very recently.” I stressed the word “very.” “I hope that’s not a problem?” I asked without thinking. It was the first thing that popped into my mind.
Jack raised his hand in front of him. “No, not at all. I think it’s cool. Too bad he’s not our English or math teacher. Would he let us get away with not doing our homework?”
Zach and I exchanged unsure glances.
“My uncle is...unpredictable.” Zach twitched his brows and waved at our uncle as he headed out the door.
Uncle Davin was that for sure.
Chapter 4
I noted the students separated into groups, especially during lunch. The jocks and the cheerleaders gathered together, and depending on the sport, they hung out at different spots around the campus. Then there were other kids who didn’t play sports, the kids who were somewhere in between, and the students who hung around with a much smaller group, like Jack—though he claimed to be popular. I never questioned him about it because I didn’t care. He was my friend.
After we whizzed through honors English, calculus—why humans had to learn that kind of math I had no idea—government, then art, lunch time finally arrived. Jack had told us to meet him at the double doors outside the cafeteria, and since Zach and I had the same class schedule, we waited for him together.
“Lucia.” I turned to the sound of a guy’s voice. “Zach.” The same guy greeted my brother.
“Abel,” I said softly, watching him swagger toward me. I frowned at seeing a swarm of girls around him, following him as if he was the king and they were his servants. It wasn’t out of jealousy but the way the girls’ eyes scanned me from head to toe. The way they examined me made me uncomfortable, until they shifted their eyes to my brother lustfully.
“I’ve been looking all over for you.” Abel’s intense stare, as if he could see right through me, made my cheeks warm. “I guess I don’t have any classes with you in the mornings.”
“I guess not.” My brother stepped in. “Isn’t that too bad?” His tone was threatening.
I loved my brother, but sometimes I wished he would let me fight my own battles and not be overprotective.
Abel lightly caressed my arm. “After you get your lunch, why don’t you and Zach come sit at our table? I’ll introduce you to my friends.”
“I’m waiting for Jack.” I bit my bottom lip, wondering if I’d said the right thing.
“Bring Jack. I’ll be at the table with the biggest crowd.” With a wink, and the girls still behind him, he left.
Well, if that didn’t sound arrogant then I didn’t know what did. But surprisingly, with the warm sensation tingling through me, I didn’t think any less of him.
“Lucia. Zach. Sorry about the wait,” Jack panted, appearing from around the corner. He almost ran into us. “I had your uncle for government. Boy, he was hilarious, but he kept us after the bell rang. Actually, no one got up to leave. He kept on telling joke after joke after he’d given us the homework assignment. I didn’t like that part. No teacher in history has ever given homework on the first day of school.” He sounded disappointed.
“That’s my uncle for you,” I sang.
“Let’s go. I’m starving,” Jack said.
Once inside the cafeteria, we trailed behind Jack until we reached a lineup. I glanced around at the biggest room I had seen so far, besides the gym. Silver-colored benches formed several lines throughout the room. Lunchtimes were staggered so the seniors had the best time slot. Lucky for me, I was
a senior.
Jack handed both Zach and me a tray and a plate. “Just take what you want and pay at the end of the line.”
Perusing the lunch menu they offered, I didn’t find anything appetizing. Angels didn’t have to eat to survive, but being half human, we did occasionally eat when we reached the point of hunger pangs. Trying to fit in, I picked up an apple, a turkey sandwich, and milk, and my brother did the same. After we punched in our student ID number, we were cleared to go. Uncle Davin had deposited enough money to last the whole school year, even though we didn’t plan to be there that long.
I searched for the largest crowd and saw two familiar faces. Which one?
“Zach,” Vanessa called, waving her hand from the first big crowd.
“Lucia.” Abel said my name as if we were good friends. They were sitting at the same table. Then he called Jack’s name.
I squeezed through the crowds and Zach and I sat next to Abel, even though Jack hesitated. When I patted the space next to me at the table, Jack pushed up his glasses with his index finger and cautiously planted himself.
“Everyone, this is Zach, Lucia, and Jack.” Abel got the group’s attention.
A growl escaped from Cayden’s mouth. “What’s Four-Eyes doing at our table?”
“Be nice,” Abel warned his bunch of friends whose eyes were all narrowed at Jack in disgust.
Although Jack sat with his peers, he seemed less social, keeping to himself.
“How’s your first day of school?” Abel asked.
I kept quiet so my brother could speak first. Zach swallowed before he spoke. He had eaten half his sandwich already. “It’s great, thanks. How about yours?”
Abel’s eyes met mine. “It’s perfect now.” He took a sip of his chocolate milk. “How’s yours?”
“Good.” I smiled, not knowing what else to say. I really wanted to say not so good ’cause my uncle was around, but I didn’t.
“You didn’t come by for a free ice cream. I waited for you,” Abel said and took a bite of his sandwich.