Hello guys! Okay, so this story is based on a new character: Leila! Yay! She falls in love with Cam and… well, you'll have to read on to find out! So, I would love some input if you please? Feel free to come up with suggestions if you want to! I will only continue this if I get good reviews, otherwise there's no point, lol. This is quite a bit longer than my other stuff and I completely understand if you can't read all of it! It is a lot! Excuse my Britishness, and please: REVIEW, REVIEW and REVIEW! P.s I only own Leila Obear…
Leila's POV
I was the new Nephilim enrolled in the "honours" class at Shoreline. I sat down at the office opposite Francesca, the angel headmistress as my mom finished signing my forms. The woman was in her mid-thirties with blonde hair and round cheekbones. She was smiling, which made her soft features look even more stunning. I thought about my own appearance. I was plain in comparison to this woman with her striking appearance! Nothing more than boring, plain Leila. My light brown eyes looked dull in comparison to her bright blue ones, and my bouncy black curls looked like mop likened to her golden, shoulder-length curls. Even my cute, button nose, mocha colouring and curvy body felt unpleasant.
Francesca pressed a finger to her pouty lips as my mom placed her pen on the table and sighed.
"Don't worry Mrs Obear, Leila will be fine! We have a great Nephilim programme, and the grounds are completely protected against outside threats." Francesca explained as she picked up the paperwork and put it in the drawer beside her. My mom put her arm around me and kissed me on the cheek. We walked back to the car and a student, about my age (fifteen), dressed in a suit, picked up my bags, placed them on a trolley and began walking towards the dorms. I stared at Francesca quizzically. She waved her hand in a dismissive way, "The scholarship children help out here. It's a way of making them pay us back."
I stared after him as he disappeared into a large house with balconies lined at every window and closed the white door behind him. Mom gave me another kiss, got into her car and I watched her drive off. Now I was alone. I didn't know anyone at this strange school! All the Nephilim had each other, but I wasn't one of them! I was something unique, something different! I had angel-like traits, even though I was born of completely mortal parents! They could call me a freak, a weirdo and they wouldn't be wrong! I hated being different!
Francesca smiled again and led me into the same building the scholarship boy had just gone into. We walked up three flights of stairs and down a brightly lit corridor with red walls and abstract paintings hung on them. My dorm was number forty-three. As we approached the green door, we heard the hip-hop music blaring. I smiled. Maybe my roommate and I would have much more in common than I thought! Francesca opened the door.
The room was as uniquely designed as the corridor was. The walls were orange, the floor was green and there were posters and pictures plastered in every little bit of space on one side of the room. There were huge windows that opened to the balcony. One of the beds (the one surrounded by the posters) had pink quilts draped over it and on the table next to it there was a stack of classic books and an old-fashioned alarm clock. My bed and table were empty and the wall behind them was bare. My three suitcases were on the floor beside my bed, and my handbag was rested on the pillow.
My roommate, who had been jumping on her bed and singing along to the music, climbed down and smiled at me.
"Hi! I'm Mimi! You're the new Nephilim girl, right?" she shook my hand vigorously with her tiny ones. Not only did she have small hands, she had a slight face and frame to match. Her brown hair cascaded down to her slim shoulders and curled at her collarbone and her grey eyes were piercing. She had milky skin which made her look unusual. Damn! She was beautiful! Is everyone with angel blood in them as stunning as the people in the room with me? Mimi jogged me out of my thoughts when she pulled me by the hand and led me to my bed. "I was just listening to my favourite music. Do you like hip-hop?" She sat on the bed opposite and hugged her knees towards her. I nodded and smiled.
"Hey, Mimi! I'm Leila. I love hip-hop!" I said, standing up again and looking at Francesca.
"I'll leave you two to the bonding." Francesca laughed. With that, she left. Mimi changed the song and went back to jumping on her bed.
"Join in with me!" she shouted over the music. She pulled me up onto her bed and jumped, holding my hands. I bit back a chuckle. What a cute little ball of energy my new roommate was! As first I was shy, but after a while, I was singing along with Mimi and dancing to the music. It ended too quickly, though, as Mimi leaped down from the bed. "It's time for breakfast!" She sang in her quirky voice. She held on to my hand and dragged me out of the room
The grounds were exquisite! There was a fountain in the middle of the place the Shoreline students called the "park" with rows of pretty pink flowers framing it and wooden picnic benches scattered around. Next to this large expanse of land was yet another garden. This one was lined with tables and chairs. There was a pavilion to the east and a kitchen behind. More scholarship students danced around the tables in their suits, attending to the every need of the students sitting and laughing on the chairs. I inhaled the sweet, fresh air, happy to be out of the city, hearing the lovely bird-song and smelling the fragrant flowers.
Mimi took me to a table where three other students were sitting: a tall boy with a bright, friendly smile, freckles on his nose, and wearing a cap who said his name was Miles; a pretty but fierce-looking girl who barked that her name was Shelby and a beautiful girl with short, blonde hair and full lips called Luce. Miles and Luce smiled at me as I sat down. Shelby, on the other hand, scowled. I met her gaze and looked away quickly.
"Don't worry," Luce smiled, "Shelby's just annoyed with Miles. She'll snap out of it soon." At that moment, a scholarship girl with blonde hair and dark brown eyes approached our table with a notepad in her hand. She took our orders and walked off quickly, not making eye contact with any one of us whilst Shelby made a sniffing noise, pretending there was a terrible smell lingering. I sniffed my hair, then my underarms. I didn't smell bad!
"It's not you. It's a prank we pulled on the others. Nephilim rarely get involved with them and that's probably the only way. We put a stink bomb in that girl's room when she was hosting a party." Shelby grinned menacingly
"Yeah, real classy," Miles murmured to himself, staring into space. Shelby snickered. That's why the poor girl wouldn't look at us!
The same blonde-haired girl walked over to our table, balancing everyone's breakfasts and hot drinks in her hands. She set them down, looking only at our table and backed away quickly. Now that Shelby mentioned it, I did see the clear divide in Nephilim and the human children. There was an invisible line that the humans were wary of crossing, and the Nephilim didn't care to cross. Whenever the humans and Nephilim caught each other's eyes, either the normal student would quickly look down or they would get flipped off by a part-angel.
The bell rang and the Nephilim students sauntered off in the direction of the woods. The other students tried their best not to touch the supernatural that looked so carefree, going to their "honours" classes. Mimi, who had just had a coffee and was even more hyper than before, skipped to class with me in tow.
The Nephilim class in Shoreline was beautiful. It was outside and resembled a lodge. It had a forest as backdrop and looked as if it had grown with the trees around it, as if it had been there for all eternity. At the same time, the polished wood and large glass windows made it look so modern. Many students were climbing the twin staircases that led from the path that had taken us to this building to the classroom itself. The combination of old and new was startlingly beautiful. Mimi didn't let me stand and gawp, however, as class was about to start.
I sat down between Shelby and Mimi and waited as the minute-warning bell rang.
"It is a busy semester, and today we have yet another new student: Leila Obear. As I have told you, Leila was not born a Nephilim, but is a new angel born from two complete mortals. She was sent here to be like Steven and I, as a reinforcement for all the angels lost in this war. I hope you all treat her nicely." Francesca informed the class, gesturing to me. I smiled at my classmates shyly and they stared at me in… awe? Wow. I hadn't expected that! I expected them to stare at me mockingly, like I was a freak, but not in admiration as they were just then!
The class's attention shifted as Francesca and Steven began to teach the class. The couple were attracted to each other in a magical, intense way. The Nephilim class was designed so that once all the pupils had left the school, they could choose whether they wanted to join the side of the angels or the demons. Francesca and Steven were perfect for this, because one was angel and the other was demon. At the same time, they loved each other dearly and were a juxtaposed couple. When one went too far, pushing their opinion onto the class, the other would bring their love back in line. They were like yin-yang: completely in balance, in sync and showed the Nephilim that "good" and "evil" aren't as clear cut as people once believed, that angels and demons can live together in harmony.
I watched as Steven concentrated and summoned a dark shadow. It wafted in his direction, and hovered a foot in front of him, seeming reluctant to come any closer. A smell of mildew drifted in my direction and I began to feel cold. I knew what that shadow was. It was an Announcer. I wasn't sure how I knew, nor did I care. I just wanted to get as far away from them as possible, to escape. I held back my shudders and swallowed bile as I looked around the classroom. I could tell the Announcer wasn't having this effect on any of my other classmates, so I tried my best to look normal, to pretend I didn't feel all the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.
Steven and Francesca guided the Announcer with their fingers. They manipulated it into a ball and then stretched, pulling it into a small screen. Suddenly, I wanted to be out there, to guide that Announcer and find out what message lay behind it. What a strange transformation from the feelings I had experienced mere moments ago! I clutched the bottom of my seat as I saw two cities burning. Sodom and Gomorrah. I remembered glimpses of the scenes as if I was there; the screaming, the smell of flesh burning and the flames dancing around the cities, igniting terrified faces. I didn't feel sorry for the people, but I felt their terror nonetheless.
I took a deep breath and peered around the classroom. The students were usually laughing and joking but there was a dead silence in the room. You could have heard a pin drop in the room at that point. At the same time, although they were horrified, they seemed used to it. Almost as if they'd seen it before or maybe it just didn't hit them as hard as it did me. Mimi was looking at the screen through her hands, chanting "Don't look at the women!" and even the nonchalant Shelby couldn't laugh at this. Miles clutched his arms, a grave expression on his face. It didn't seem as though anyone could take their eyes off the screen, whereas I couldn't look at it any longer. I felt as though it had made away with my innocence.
After what seemed like years, the Announcer dissolved. The class seemed to breathe again. My heart was pounding.
"I'll give you all a minute" Steven breathed, "then you'll all attempt to manipulate an announcer with a partner. He sat on the desk and waited for us to calm down. I could see it was working. The colour in Mimi's face returned and her breathing steadied. I was different. I felt worse. The more time I spent thinking about it, the queasier I felt. Then it all went black.
I woke up in my room with Francesca and Steven on Mimi's bed. Steven smiled and Francesca breathed a sigh of relief. I sat up.
"What happened?" I asked. Francesca and Steven exchanged knowing looks.
"Well, Leila, other angels' memories of past events are coming to you. You were put on Earth to be the decider. Whether or not Daniel choses a side, you are capable of either bringing us angels back up to heaven, or being the, ah, not so secret weapon for the demons in this war, which could cause them to win the war." Francesca informed me softly. My eyes popped open and Steven pushed me back onto the bed, as I almost leaped a metre into the air.
"Great. It isn't enough that I'm a freak, even amongst the part-angels, now I have to be the decider for the war, too? I just wish I could be normal!" I whined, knowing that that could not happen. I was different and I would just have to accept that. I groaned and sunk my head into my pillow, brooding. All I could do is stare at my ceiling, thinking about all my lucky human friends who only had to think about finishing their normal homework and calling their normal boyfriends, not deciding which side to support in a battle in which they could change the outcome and the future of mankind, because that's what it comes down to: my choice.
After a while, my teachers left. Mimi burst into the room, holding a flower I guess she picked from one of the gardens. She placed it on my bed and sat next to me, then grabbed me and squeezed me hard. Mimi was quickly becoming my favourite person on campus. She was light, bubbly and could make you feel good, no matter what.
"I was so worried when I saw you'd passed out in class! What happened and why?" she whispered
"I'm apparently the decider. I saw that scene from another angel's point of view. It was… intense" I sighed. I felt so worn. Not physically tired, but mentally. Mimi's eyes widened and she threw her arms around me again. "Poor you!" Mimi exclaimed, "It must be even harder for you! At least we had a warning when we watched it two days ago!" I hugged her back, amazed by how quickly I had made a best friend. Maybe school wasn't as bad as I thought.
Mimi and I went down to dinner shortly after that, once she was sure I was fine. She linked her arm in mine and we walked quickly to the garden. I tried my best not to make eye contact with any of the staring Nephilim as I walked. They were staring at me, mouth gaping and began to whisper to each other. We sat down at the same table we had this morning. A scholarship boy with black hair, brown eyes and serious acne handed us some menus and smiled at me. I smiled back as Miles, Shelby and Luce approached.
"I wouldn't make eye contact with the lesser people if I were you. They're not worth it." Shelby clapped me on the back.
"Shelby! What've they ever done to you?" Luce snorted, "Anyway, how are you feeling? We were all pretty worried when we saw what happened."
"Yeah I'm fine." I smiled warmly, knowing my answer was vague. The scholarship student approached the table again and took our orders, coming back with them ten minutes later. We ate in pretty much silence. I focused all my attention on eating my chicken tagliatelle, hoping that my new friends wouldn't ask the question I knew they were dying to ask. Luckily, they respected my space and left me to concentrate on chewing and swallowing my pasta properly.
After dinner, Mimi and I made our way back to our dorm, and then my roommate changed her clothes into a pink top with straps and slim-fit jeans, ready for a date with her boyfriend.
"Are you sure you don't want me to stay?" she sat down on her bed and looked me directly in the eyes. "If you do, I'll cancel my date! I'm sure Jack won't mind! We're only going to hang out in his dorm and, you know, watch a movie."
"No, no! You go and have fun. I'll be fine." Honestly, I just wanted some time to myself. Mimi nodded and walked out of the room, waving before she left.
I lay on my bed in silence. How my life had changed today! Just a month ago, I was talking about the best looking boy in class and worrying about the recent homework assignment. Now I had to choose what side I wanted to be on for the huge angel war, as well as knowing that I had the potential to change the outcome, and sway one of the sides. Plus, I had to learn how to be an angel and get used to remembering symbolic bibliographical events from another angel's point of view and remember that I have to consider what is best for the rest of mankind!
I fell into an uneasy sleep. My dream was unusually pleasant, considering the fact that I was on the verge of an emotional breakdown. I saw these most wonderful green eyes. The owner of them was speaking to me, but when I woke up; I couldn't remember what he said. He got closer and closer before… I was woken by Mimi's singing and dancing.
I smiled. She was jumping on her bed once again and shouting along with the rap music that was pounding from her cd player. I brushed my teeth and joined in with her, since this was the closest thing to anything normal I was being given at the moment. After that, we went and got breakfast, as we had the day before. There was a difference this time: the angel, Roland, who had been in the Nephilim class previously, had a new friend. I sat down at our table with Shelby, Miles, Luce and Mimi and started eating my breakfast, grateful that Miles had ordered it for me in advance.
The new kid (who was obviously full angel, though I wasn't sure how I knew) had his eyes fixed on Luce. I felt a pang of jealousy for some unknown reason, and lowered my eyes, feeling hurt. I raised my eyes just in time, however, to see the new angel catch Luce's eyes and for Luce to shoot him daggers. He grinned and winked at her, which just made her madder. She hissed and turned her head to me, sharply.
"That's Cam." She said sharply, gesturing towards the angel. "He's a… let's just say he's an idiot."
"I don't know, he seems pretty…" I was going to say nice, but before I finished, our gazes met. I wanted to look down, but I couldn't. The more I stared into those green eyes, the more familiar they seemed. Cam looked stunned, before he blinked purposefully and smiled at me. I smiled back, dazed. Roland poked Cam on his bicep and smiled. He whispered something in Cam's ear and looked at me. Embarrassed, I suddenly became tremendously interested in reading everything in the breakfast menu. My head was hidden by the menu, so I didn't notice Cam approaching our table.
"Hey, I'm Cameron, but call me Cam." I looked up, startled by hearing his voice, and it suddenly hit me. This was the boy with the green eyes from my dream!
"Uh, um, I'm L-L," I stammered, transfixed from looking into those wonderful eyes.
"Leila, I know. How couldn't I?" Cam beamed, making me want to shrink into nothingness. So it was true. Angels were gorgeous, and this angel in particular caught my eye. He was damn fine! He sat down in the empty chair next to me, never once breaking my eye contact. Luce grunted and pushed her seat backwards, as far away from Cam as possible. She scowled at both Cam and I and crossed her arms. Cam completely ignored her, focusing only on me as he said: "Roland is planning a party at the beach tonight. You should come!" then, grudgingly added, "you should all come," glancing at my friends as if they were completely unimportant.
With that, he left. Well, not before promising he would see me around. My heart fluttered and my breathing was uneven.
"Wow." I breathed, trying to steady my breathing.
"He's just playing you!" Luce snapped. She excused herself from the table, even though her food was not finished, and stormed up the path and towards the Nephilim Lodge (classroom), glaring at Cam as she passed. Cam pulled a face, crossing his eyes and sticking out his tongue towards the retreating form of my fuming new friend. I giggled. Cam looked in my direction again and winked, making my heart do summersaults.
Before any of my companions could see how flustered I was, I swiftly jogged across the garden, stopping only to smile timidly at Cam before I picked up a steady pace in the direction of the Lodge. When I arrived, Luce was sitting on the stairs, contemplating something. I was about to leave her alone, but when she saw me approaching, she gestured for me to sit down next to her.
"I'm sorry. Sorry about the way I was acting. Cam and I used to have a thing – no! I'm not jealous! It's just that he tried to play me. He tricked me into liking him. Look. I like you, Leila. I just don't want to see you get hurt by that… punk. You seem really nice. You deserve better." She blurted all this out before I could say a word. My mouth dropped open, and I sat there, gaping. I wasn't really concentrating on Luce, but even if I had been, this was not what I would've expected.
The bell rang for class. As all the Nephilim students approached the Lodge, Luce squeezed my hand. "I can't stop you from making a decision, so I'm just going to warn you: dealing with demons is dangerous." Luce whispered before standing up and entering the glass door. I was perplexed. What was this relationship that she had had with Cam before, and why did she resent him so much now? Again, I felt a pang of jealousy towards this beautiful girl with her unusual features, even though part of me knew her heart was with another. I hoped that another angel's memory of Luce's link with the angels would arise, because I was certain she was a human.
That evening after dinner, I was walking to the beach with my new found friends. It was a bright, sunny summer evening and I was in an aqua evening summer dress that was tight at the bust and stopped just before my knees. I had let my curls out, instead of tying them up in a bun, and they flowed happily down to my waist. Mimi was wearing gold, which clashed strikingly with her eyes, and had half pulled her hair up with a clip. Miles and Shelby hadn't really bothered. They were still wearing the same clothes they had worn today. I, however, wanted to make a good impression for this gorgeous angel who was showing an interest in me and Mimi was meeting her boyfriend at the party.
When we arrived, Cam walked over to us looking relieved (which made me flutter).
"Hi, guys!" He waved at the others, looking bored, and then took my hand, "Leila, come with me!" he practically pulled me towards the makeshift bar and threw an arm around me casually. He got us drinks before we walked to the cliffs, which were being attacked by the merciless waves. We sat down with our legs dangling over the edge. I had never admired the beauty of the beach before as I had that day. The sun was setting, so cast a pink light over everything and gave the palm trees an unusual edge. The salty sea was a clear blue with fish swimming lazily in the water and the beach was neatly arranged with both sand and pebbles. It was truly startling.
"Wow. It's so beautiful!" I smiled in content, rolling my shoulders back to look at the sunset. Even though I was with Cam, who I already liked more than I should, I couldn't help noticing how cheesy this gesture was.
"Yeah, it is, but it's not why I brought you over here. I just wanted to get away from your friends, to talk to you alone, without the Lucinda Prices of the world butting in." He grinned at me, his green eyes lighting up and I couldn't help but smile back. I felt like I was normal right at that moment: just a normal girl with a normal crush.
"You've probably heard that I'm a player or something from Luce. I want you to get to know me yourself, though. I like you. I feel like we know each other from somewhere. Please don't let what Luce says get in the way," Cam said, staring out into the horizon as he spoke.
"I don't think it has much to do with anything except the fact that we're both, um, angels." I whispered the last word, like it was forbidden to say.
"What? You're mortal." Cam stated the obvious, puzzled.
"I'm supposed to be some angel born of mortal parents." I snorted, and then cleared my throat awkwardly as Cam's eyes widened. He sat there, contemplating. I felt odd, so I went to go and leave, giving Cam an apologetic look as I stood up. He held my hand, not letting me leave, so I stood rigidly while he sat and beamed up at me.
"Of course you are! You're her!" The way he said her made me feel special. He said it like a prayer. Like I was offering salvation – well, apparently I was, sort of. He tugged on my arm, trying to make me sit down. I followed his silent pleas all too willingly. I sat down and he took both of my hands in his.
"Her?" I breathed, slightly confused, but enjoying the way he looked at me: with awe and… adoration. With that, he leaned in closer to me. Closer, closer, until our lips touched. A sudden heat overwhelmed me, along with passionate electricity and a prickly sensation. None of this was unpleasant. On the contrary, it was anything but. The kiss felt right. I swooned as Cam took me in his arms, holding me in a tight embrace, and I forgot about everything and everyone else. There were only us two in the world. All of my petty problems seemed to dissolve as our kiss became hungrier and somehow even more passionate. I ran my hands through his hair and he tightened his arms around my waist.
I reluctantly came up for air. I stared into Cam's eyes. He looked dazed, awed and I liked it. I smiled at him, and in return, he kissed me on the cheek, then the nose before pecking me on the lips again.
"We have to get back to the party before your friend Luce notices you're gone." The angel told me, his voice husky. I moaned sadly in response, tip-toeing to give him another kiss and letting it my lips linger on his. He put an arm around my waist and we walked back to the obnoxiously loud beach party. Luce raised her eyebrows disapprovingly when she saw the proximity of Cam and I. I smiled guiltily, genuinely feeling as though I had betrayed a friend who had honestly cared about my feelings. She shook her head in a dismissive manner and Cam raised his eyebrows pointedly.
I felt like a bit of a traitor that night. I had basically abandoned my friends. They gaped at me, mouthing: "tell me later" when they saw me sitting down with Cam's arm draped over my shoulders. Cam had pulled me into his "in" crowd. Roland was sitting at the table as we approached. He was talking to some older Nephilim (obviously graduated students) who acknowledged me when they saw me, so I smiled shyly. They murmured "Leila," politely when I was seated. I nodded back, feeling stupid for not knowing their names.
"Steven told me after class that you're an angel. A full angel. Is that true?" Roland asked me. When I nodded, his eyes popped. "How can this be? You were born, and in this life, from humans!"
"Beats me." I shrugged. Cam snickered.
"She's the one. The new angel who will help redeem the angels." He informed his wide-eyed companions proudly, pulling me onto his chest. I marvelled at how quickly we had become involved with each other. Just that morning we were strangers. Now, we were acting like a couple. A pair who had been together a while and knew everything about each other. I smiled at this thought. It really did feel like I've known him for eternity.
That night, I dreamt about Cam. His soft lips and the feeling his mere proximity gave me. Then, my dream warped into a nightmare. Cam's eyes were pained as a woman had him pinned against a tree. She began shouting, pushing him harder against the scratchy bark. His eyes went wide in shock from what she was saying. When she finally let go of him, he fell backwards into mud. The girl picked up a booklet and threw it into the river on the left. The ink ran and dissolved within the clear water, but not before I saw what it was: a marriage contract with Cam's name on it. I felt physically hurt, even though this scene was from a long time ago.
I blinked my eyes open and sat bolt upright. The sudden realisation hit me: this girl was the reason Cam was a demon. He changed all because of a broken heart. An Announcer swirled around my head.
"I wonder what life would be like if Cam was an angel?" I mused to myself. I imagined his body with white wings, rather than the image of his gold wings that an angel had unknowingly gifted me with. Cam without Satan's tattoo on the back of his neck. Cam without his tarnished reputation. A world where Cam was respected, rather than despised. I really wanted to know… and I was going to find out.
I guided the Announcer towards me, willing it to come into my hands. From the silver glint of it, some part of me knew this was the Announcer I was looking for. I guided it into a screen, as Steven and Francesca had done in my first lesson, and stepped in.