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My mouth dries as bloody images of death and destruction flash behind my eyes. If they made it to the entertainment district, what’s to stop them from coming to SCU?
I stare at my slate for so long the screen turns black and all that’s left is my own face gazing back. My brown, curly hair looks like it always does, but today it’s even more unruly than usual. I study the rest of my face before finally moving to my best feature: my hazel eyes. But in my reflection, they appear almost empty, like these recent attacks are finally displaying the fact that I’m dead inside. I frown and look away.
The door creaks open suddenly and a short, brunette angel with her face buried in a map rushes in, barely paying attention to where she’s going. As she passes the third row of desks, a long-haired boy sticks out his leg. The girl doesn’t notice until she trips over his foot, and I watch as she almost collides with the corner of my desk.
I stand, pushing the desk out of the way so that she crashes into me instead. “Look, I know we’re damn near invincible, but it really helps if you look where you’re going.”
With my hands on her arms, I pull back and instantly recognize her as the girl Raphael’s become obsessed with. She must be a foot shorter than me, so she has to tilt her head to look up at me. When her eyes meet mine, they’re wide pools of blue sapphire. Hidden amongst the blue are flecks of silver and gold, reminding me of rare granite, and I can’t tear myself away.
We’re so close that the heat of her body seeps into mine, and the sugar-sweet scent of honey fills my nose.
“Shit, sorry. I got lost earlier and then couldn’t find the class details … Today is just not my day.” Seeming to collect herself, she steps back and tucks a stray lock of dark hair from her face.
“Why don’t you sit here,” I offer, pulling out the empty seat beside me. I’d already stopped four angels from sitting there, but none of them were her. “We can compare schedules and I’d be happy to help you get around.”
Raphael will be so jealous when he learns who I spent an entire hour of class with. Neither of us have seen much of her today, though I know he’d been hoping to share at least a few classes with her, especially after what happened this morning.
“I’d love that, actually. Thank you,” she says tentatively, shifting her gaze between the staring students and me like I’ll take back my offer any second. When I don’t, she places her belongings on the desk beside mine and takes the seat I offer.
“I’m Theo. And you must be the infamous Hayliel. Quite the first day, huh?”
A pretty blush spreads across her face as she drops her eyes, and I immediately kick myself. Fuck. It isn’t any secret that she’s been getting picked on since revealing herself this morning, so why the fuck had I felt it necessary to bring it up?
She shoots me a sad smile as she stands and picks her belongings up. “I’ll understand if you don’t want to associate with me anymore. No hard feelings.”
“What? No. I’m sorry, that was a stupid thing to say,” I reply, placing my hand on her arm to stop her. A jolt of electricity thrums through me with the contact, and I almost lose my train of thought. “Look, I don’t really care what color your wings are, and I’ll be the first to admit that my research-focused brain wants to know more about what it means, but I would never treat you like shit because of it. And neither should anyone else.”
Her gaze meets mine, holding for an entire minute before she sits back down. “That would make you the first, I think. And trust me, I want to know why I have these damn gray wings just as much as anyone, but I’m just tired of talking about it today. So can we just pretend I’m normal for now? Please?”
My heart practically tears in two at the defeat in her voice, and I try to imagine what her life must be like. I might have had to live with the pain of my own mistakes, but hers was unavoidable. The color of her wings is out of anyone’s control, but it doesn’t stop others from being assholes about it.
Before I can respond, the professor stands from his desk at the front of the class. “Welcome to your first history lecture. I’m Professor Castiel. In this class, we’ll focus on delving into the past so that we might learn the mistakes of our forefathers and perhaps gain the skills needed to prevent them. This class will require regular reading on your own time, all of which will be available on your slate. Before I send over the first lesson, I’d like to see what you already know. I’ll presume you know the basic types of angels since you’re all in my university class, but what about in the past?”
I raise my hand, confident in my answer. “Depending how far back we’re going, we’d also have the Cherub, Seraphim, and Demons. Technically, the latter aren’t angels anymore, but if history is to be believed, they were at one point.”
“Very good, Theo,” Professor Castiel says with a smile. “Since the dawn of time, our kind have evolved and grown. Demons, while not angels, still exist and plague us. But the only of our kind left in existence are the Pure, Fallen, and the Archangels who rule Silver City. Please look at your slates and answer the questions there as best you can. This will help me determine the content for our class.”
I make my way through the questions, not surprised to find I know most of the answers already, when a hand rests lightly on my arm. I turn to Hayliel, finding she’s finished answering her questions too.
“Something tells me you’re bunked in the Knowledge house. I bet your parents must have had their hands full.” She chuckles, seeming at ease with me for the first time.
Before I can reply, a guy with dirty-blonde hair sitting a few rows in front of us speaks up. “Professor, I think we forgot a species. Gray wings aren’t exactly Pure or Fallen, and from what I’ve heard, she doesn’t have extra wings like the Archangels. So how do we know she’s not an unturned demon?”
The class laughs, and I watch the easy smile melt from Hayliel’s face. Anger erupts from me, and all I want to do is put whoever said that in their place. I’m not one for drama and I avoid most people at all costs, but I can’t just stand by while these piece-of-shit angels pick on Hayliel for something beyond her control. She’s still one of us, and we shouldn’t turn on our own. I stand forcefully, the legs of my chair scraping across the floor. I’m ready to teach this angel a lesson, but the professor beats me to it.
“Some believe we also have the subspecies of idiot, Cadriel, and it appears you may have that gene.” The class turns silent as Professor Castiel pulls a slip of paper from his drawer, signs it, and walks it over to a guy in the middle of class. I immediately recognize him as the angel who tripped Hayliel earlier.
“You can’t talk to me like that, Professor!” Cadriel says, his face turning red.
“I most certainly can. I’d like to remind all students that my class — and indeed the university — holds zero tolerance for bullying. Anyone caught doing so will receive an immediate warning and after two strikes, I will personally ensure expulsion. Have I made myself clear?”
Silence falls, and after a beat, Professor Castiel claps his hands. “Good. Back to your tests now.”
I sit back down, scooting closer to Hayliel. “Don’t worry about them. Not all of us are idiots.” I send her a reassuring smile, but her frown doesn’t lift. Students stare at her, their tests forgotten while they gaze at the unusual angel beside me.
“I know he’s just trying to help, but I think forcing detention and threatening expulsion on these assholes will only make it worse,” she whispers, defeated. “Thank you, though, for whatever it is you were going to do.”
“Friends don’t let friends deal with assholes alone,” I tell her, knocking my shoulder into hers.
