Fire Angel

“Tell me again why we’re doing this.” a young woman, no more than seventeen, asked the pair of legs that were sticking out of the four poster bed before her.

“Because Misty needs a bath.” came the muffled female reply. “And you did say you’d help me Tenshi… or are you trying to go back on your word.”

“I would never.” Tenshi replied moving her long dark-brown hair behind her ear before bending down to peer under the bed as the legs seemed to creep further under the bed to see the owner try to get the small brown and white dog out from the corner she managed to press herself into. “Misty,” she said looking at the mischievous look on the dog’s face. “Why do you always give Angela and me so much trouble whenever we try to bathe you?” Angela sneezed as the dust under her bed started to get to her making Tenshi laugh a bit.

“I need to vacuum under here again.” Angela muttered thoughtfully as she moved forward again, trying to reach Misty as she appeared to diminish in size to avoid her masters’ reach.

“Are you sure she’s not a cat?” Tenshi joked as she rocked back on her heals and sank to the floor, just as Angela managed to wrap her hands around the little Pomeranian.

“I wonder sometimes.” she groaned as she began to wiggle backwards, maintaining the grip she had around her dog, lest Misty tried to run off again.

“Want me to pull you out?” Tenshi asked as Angela continued to struggle to move backwards and keep Misty from running away again. Angela looked back pitifully

“Please?” Tenshi laughed, stood up and took a hold of each of Angela’s legs and began to tug her gently until she was out and dropped her legs so she could get up. Angela held Misty out to Tenshi and stood up fully, dusting herself off. “I don’t understand how she always manages to get me completely under some form of furniture.” she groaned before pointing a threatening finger at Misty. “You missy are getting such a bath.” Tenshi laughed, running a hand over Misty’s dusty fur. Angela shook her head and took Misty from Tenshi’s arms and walked out of her room.

~~~~

Tenshi sat on the steps of Angela’s porch keeping an eye on the freshly washed Pomeranian while Angela changed her shirt inside. Misty suddenly jumped up and tried to catch one of the butterflies that were flying around her head as Angela came back.

“I’m glad it didn’t rain, though I don’t think we should be letting her have this much fun.” Angela said as she saw the overcast sky while she sat next to Tenshi and moving her light brown hair from her amber eyes. Tenshi turned to her smiling

“You would have preferred it to rain, keeping Misty inside and putting her in one of your brother’s rooms so she could mess it up with all the pent up energy she has?” Angela restrained a mischievous smile and looked back to Misty. Tenshi’s green eyes caught the laughter that rippled through her.

“That would have been a plan…” Angela’s voice trailed off as she looked to the sky again. “What do you think they’re doing?”

“’They’?” Tenshi looked at Angela curiously, “As in the angels?” Angela nodded

“I mean, they took a few of the students a couple months ago… isn’t it weird that no one wants to talk about it?”

“Not really I guess… I mean, some of us don’t want to think about it yah know?” Tenshi shrugged and allowed her gaze to move away from Misty “I think a lot of people are just happy that they’re doing what they can to make sure we’re safe.” Angela shifted slightly as Misty spotted something in the bushes and ran towards it.

“Are people really that self-centered?” Angela whispered. Tenshi tilted her head, letting her hair fall over her shoulder as she thought for a moment

“Some people are… but some are just afraid… of what they might have to give up, and what they know to be true.” Angela turned back to her as she continued “Angels are something a lot of us can’t explain, something that we can’t understand and it scares us… it’s worse knowing that there are also demons out there… it makes us feel like we’re worthless knowing that there are things we can’t fight no matter what.” Tenshi looked at Angela and gave her a half smile. “Yah know?” Angela was about to answer when a chilling wind ripped through the neighborhood. Angela and Tenshi both froze and focused their attention the ominous presence they now felt.

“Misty.” Angela called out. “Come here now.” Misty stopped what she was doing and looked back at them, wagged her tail and bounded over to her master’s waiting arms. Angela got up and moved to the door looking back only when she realized that Tenshi wasn’t following. “Tenshi?” Tenshi kept her eyes focused forward as though in a trance. “Tenshi…” Angela tentatively moved forward and touched her on the shoulder. Tenshi didn’t move and the wind seemed to begin to take a form of it’s own. At that moment Tenshi took a long blink and turned her head back to Angela.

“Sorry, what?” she asked looking a bit disturbed.

“Lets go back inside.” Angela said looking worriedly at her. Tenshi nodded and got up, looking back once. “It happened again didn’t it…” Angela said as she closed and locked the door behind them.

“Ummm, it was weird…”

“When is it not?” Misty started to struggle in Angela’s arms so she let her down while Tenshi got a sad kind of smile to her features

“I know, but this time it was weird in a different way.” Tenshi leaned onto the wall and got a thoughtful expression before she continued. “It was like, I was surrounded by a cold aura… seeping in malice and hate… usually, it’s a kinda peaceful experience…” Angela’s face had turned pale before Tenshi noticed the effect her words had on her “But it’s nothing to really worry about Angie.” she said quickly pushing herself off the door.

“You’ve never had anything dark affect you before have you?” Angela said raising her hand to her waist before dropping it and looking down for a moment.

“I wasn’t supposed to be feeling the angels as the pass… so this is probably just me getting more perceptive. No biggie, I’ll learn to tune it out soon.” Tenshi’s hand came up to Angela’s face and made her look into her eyes “Honest. It’s nothing for you to worry about.” Angela pouted, but nodded. “Let’s go to your room then.” Tenshi suggested smiling

“Maybe we could wash Mitsky and Butch.” Angela teased while Tenshi pulled a horrified face

“Are you insane? I don’t know what they rolled in!”

~~~~~~

The next day, they were making the short trek to school from the bus stop looking slightly more exhausted than a person should look after a four day weekend.

“People are gonna think that we were out partying every night.” Tenshi stated, barely stifling a yawn.

“Let them think what they want.” Angela replied with a small smile. “They could be saying worse things.” Tenshi laughed as Angela poked her in the side.

“What’s worse? They already think we’re married.” Angela giggled at the thought as they walked through the school gate and put an arm around Tenshi with a big smile on her face.

“Kiss me.” Tenshi looked at her incredulously before they both burst out laughing drawing some scandalized looks from the older students and some awed glances from the younger ones as the looked upon the two girls who were often mistaken for the other despite the obvious lack of resemblance and family ties. They both struggled to contain their laughter as a short red-head came up to them with a mischievous glint in her eyes. Angela managed to contain herself enough to notice her approach and as she neared with intent, she raised an eyebrow.

“You would not believe,” the red-head said tossing her hair over her shoulder “What happened to which students and who came back during the weekend.”

“Why don’t you just tell us now, Miyuki.” Tenshi said leaning slightly on Angela as she caught her breath from the laughing fit. “Seeing as you’re dying to I mean.” she chuckled deviously and turned her back to them.

“Maybe I’ll tell you, maybe I just wanted to entice you, ne?” Tenshi rolled her eyes and Angela groaned, smacking her face simultaneously

“Is it something we’ll find out in assembly?” Angela asked looking through parted fingers at Miyuki who looked over her shoulder and winked

“Maybe…” she sang before running off to ’entice’ another unsuspecting group.

“And here I was thinking it’d be a normal day.” Tenshi said still leaning on Angela.

~~~~~~~

Miyuki managed to cause quite a stir before the assembly started, so the student body only had gossip on their lips as they entered the auditorium.

“Have you seen Nicholas?”

“Forget Nicholas, Aaron looks…”

“But Aaron can’t be… can he?”

“Are you sure?”

“No way!”

“It’s still possible…”

“Screw them, have you seen Aryanna?”

“Oh my god, YES!”

“But then she was always hot,”

“Yes but it’s like a whole different level now.”

“No way!”

“What about Kaori?”

“What about her?”

The voices of the students soon overlapped into a jumbled mess of noise as it became almost impossible to distinguish one conversation from the other. Angela and Tenshi took seats close to the middle of the auditorium, getting quickly pushed to the aisle as more people came in and wanted to sit next to each other. Tenshi began looking to the ceiling, then to Angela with a pitiful expression as the noise got louder.

“Ugh, why must they always be so loud?” Tenshi complained putting her head on Angela’s shoulder. Angela rubbed her back as she leaned forward and massaged her temples, trying to do away with the headache that was building. The noise gradually lessened as the teachers began making their way to their allotted chairs on the stage while a seemingly young male stood on the fringes looking on. The principal got up to the podium, casting a glance at the youth before beginning.

“Good morning students, I trust you all enjoyed the past four days while our labs were being redone due to the-” he was cut off by the cheers of the students. “Right… as I’m sure you’ve noticed we have a visitor in our midst,” the students became quiet, and some of the girls swooned, as the youth took a few steps forward and raised a hand before shrinking back again, “And quite a few of you may have noticed, that some of our own students have been proven to be more reminiscent of our,” he paused and cast another glance to the youth and chose to speak carefully “’Angelic counterparts.” he pursed his lips slightly rubbed his jaw. “And while they have abilities that we really can’t measure up to, they were allowed under special permission to stay in school for these semesters.” he let out a small sigh that was barely caught on the mike “For reasons they have already discussed, next week we will also be graced with new students who play an active role in… their ’community’.” he all but made air quotes as he finished. The youth moved behind him and touched his arm making him jump and move out of the way as the talking began to build again.

“I personally hope that the young angels in your midst do not forget themselves and use their abilities unnecessarily, as it causes more harm than good.” most of the girls in the auditorium sighed at the sound of his voice, while Tenshi rolled her eyes and Angela scoffed.

“Do they seriously expect us to believe that some of the students here posses angelic traits?” Tenshi muttered looking to Angela

“At least Principal Ricktor is living up to expectations.” Angela noted motioning to his discomfort and almost blatant dislike of the youth as he continued to reiterate on the proper conduct for the angels in our midst. Tenshi let out a dry chuckle.

“Well he does hold anything out of the ordinary in contempt after all…” Tenshi’s voice trailed off as a blast of chilling air shot through the auditorium, slamming the doors open and allowing a voice to echo through the room.

“Michaël, Michaël, Michaël… poor, poor Michaël. you really do think that adding young ones will stop us from looking?” the wind began to take form in a dark way while Tenshi stiffened with a blank expression on her face. The windy form got darker and darker as a sinister being began to come into view. “Stuck baby-sitting filth and younglings.” he chuckled as his body solidified, his black hair hanging in front of his face, hiding his eyes from view. His thin mouth curled upwards in a smile as he rocked his head left and right while Michaël moved into full view, the stage lights hitting the green streaks in his hair.

“I don’t think you should do that.” Michaël said slowly, keeping his eyes on the demons, now shadow covered hand. The grin he had got a little wider as her rocked his head back, allowing his eyes to come into view briefly. All this time, the students who were nearest him were trying to get away from the suffocating, desolate aura that was surrounding him.

“Do what?” He spread his hands wide, and his soulless eyes landed on Angela as she tried to move Tenshi away “This?” his hand shot forward at the same moment a piercing, yet not overpowering, chill emanated through the room. He looked down to see a large icicle sticking out of his chest “Fuck…” he chuckled while his hand was still outstretched, the shadow no longer around it, and Tenshi slumped to the floor while students screamed. His hand dropped and he degraded to nothing in the moment that Michaël disappeared from his spot on the stage and reappeared behind Tenshi. Angela was on the floor next to her, franticly getting her back on the seat and trying to check her vitals all the while muttering ‘Please be alright, Please be alright!’ Michaël’s face was not portraying any hope though, which made some of the students move to Angela’s side to try and console her, but she shook them off. Michaël sighed and moved her away easily, and placed a hand on Tenshi’s forehead and allowing a sky-blue light to emanate from his palm as the still unnamed angel got behind her and placed a hand on her back, both of them working to remove the shadow from her body before it managed to take control of the empty shell they believed her body to have become.

A gasp escaped Tenshi’s lips a the shadow that had been forcibly shot into her escaped through her lips. Michaël turned to Angela and opened his mouth just as Tenshi’s eyes fluttered open and she groaned.

“What happened?” her voice seemed a bit hoarse and she coughed a bit looking around, while the two boys regarded her with curiosity.

“What happened was, you took a blow that usually kills a human instantly.” Michaël stated bluntly. Tenshi frowned then shrugged and turned to Angela who was now trying to get around the apparently immovable Michaël. “Meaning you’re supposed to be dead.” he continued.

“Could you, by chance, be the ‘Miracle Child’?” the youth behind her asked in a sultry tone that made some of the girls near swooned.

“There’s no way she could be the ‘Miracle Child’.” Michaël and the youth turned to the owner of the voice, a preppy girl with almost blonde hair done in ringlets. She blushed under her their gazes

“And why is that?” Michaël asked tilting his head

“Because I am.” she winked at him boldly while they regarded her with more than a little skepticism before turning their attention back to Tenshi. Angela had managed to get to Tenshi and held on to her for dear life and when they looked back to Tenshi, Angela’s grip tightened perceptively.

“Do you think you could allow your friend to have some air so we can try something?” Angela gave him a glare that would have sent him to the grave if looks could kill as he raised his hand.

“Didn’t you hear me?” The blonde piped up again “She’s not-”

“Do you, by some remote possibility, have your real parents, Isabelle?” Michaël asked randomly causing her to freeze. People paused and tried to recall when or if anyone had called Isabelle’s name while they were there. He turned back to Tenshi and Angela and saw that Angela had loosened her hold considerably “Can you stand?” she nodded, but kept her eyes on the yet to be named youth as he caught her attention.

“Tenshi?” Angela’s voice was soft, and unsure. Tenshi turned to her and smiled. Angela motioned to Michaël tentatively, still unsure whether or not to let her go.

“Oh I’m sorry, did you want me to stand?” Tenshi asked innocently. Michaël nodded slowly, with a smile on his face. “You could have just said so.” Angela let her arms slip off Tenshi’s shoulders as she stood. Michaël extended his hand again, and Tenshi arched an eyebrow before slowly putting her hand in his…