Hello, everyone! A friend of mine has been having serious issues updating, which—as one of her readers—bothered me, so I decided to help her out by doing a collab with her and our other co-author. Consider it a…fanfiction boot camp of sorts…

We do not own anything except our OCs. Now, please enjoy our joint effort ;D!

When Angels Give Warning

Mariana Talon woke up to a loud and rather obnoxious pounding on her bedroom door.

"Yes?" she moaned tiredly, knowing the answer already. She just wanted her mother to know she was awake.

The knocking resumed. Apparently, she was too quiet. Mariana repeated her response, louder this time, but still maintaining an element of cheer in her voice.

"Wakey, wakey!" her mother called in, her voice slightly irritating so early in the morning. Sighing, Mariana slowly lifted her feet and twisted out of bed, dragging two layers of sheets along with her.

"Alright, I'm awake!" she called, stretching her arms out in front of herself and flexing her long, dainty fingers as if she was a cat. Standing tall, she opened her smaller walk-in closet and decided on wearing her tan, alligator-print blouse with long sleeves and ruffles along the zipper and V-neck. Pulling out an appropriate tank top to wear beneath it, she put on the outfit, complete with dark jeans and knee-high tobacco brown boots. Wincing at the time, she grabbed a gold-colored ring with an elliptical moonstone and a pair of simple gold-and-amber earrings. Bending to see her reflection in the bone white mirror above her black desk, the seventeen-year-old realized a necklace would be overkill, since she could plainly see her brown scapular and silver medal. Walking at her usual, brisk pace, Mariana hurriedly brushed her teeth, combed her long brown locks, and washed her face with water.

Rushing back to her lavender bedroom, the girl scooped up her book bag and purse, stuffing her outdated cell phone into the latter. Stopping at the door, she frowned and turned back. For some reason, it felt like someone was telling her to grab something else…heading to her tan nightstand, she pulled her aquamarine rosary bracelet onto her wrist, taking a moment to admire the ornate yet simple design of the cross on it. Remembering reality, she took bigger steps out of her room, locking the door before trotting down the steps to the front parlor.

Remembering all too easily the past misadventures she's had with stairs, Mariana hovered her fingers over the black wooden banister, held up by thin white rods on the brown uppermost surfaces of the steps. After eating fresh pancakes and drinking her coffee, the teen gathered all she needed and followed her older brother to the family car. When she kissed her mother goodbye that morning, it felt different—as if she may never see her again. Brushing the strange feeling aside, she couldn't stop her eyes from betraying the internal drama she felt.

"Well, look at her now," her mother spoke to Jerome, the college student of the house, "she's acting like she's off to war!"

Laughing along with her family, she and her brother left. While Jerome made his usual conversation about life, politics, and the universe, Mariana turned her face out the window, knowing her face would betray the inexplicable nervousness she felt.

Her brown eyes widened as she noticed some crazy underclassman in the parking lot. She found him crazy—if not downright shifty—because he just popped out from behind someone's car! He was not tall, at least not in comparison to her, and he seemed a little bit nervous. When the boy noticed her, he suddenly decided to nonchalantly sit on a bench and pretended to be lost in thought. This could either get really interesting, or just plain weird. At least it was something to set this day apart, though.

Arriving at school, her heart was a little saddened, like this was the last time she would see her brother's warm brown eyes. Feeling her guardian angel reassuring her, her jaw set as if she was really entering a battle, and not the daily kind where you have to keep reminding yourself it's even existent.

Mariana Talon walked into the building in her usual manner, with her gaze directed down and forwards, eyes wandering around occasionally to observe whatever happened to be on the walls at the time. Seeing her reflection in a trophy case, she noticed with alarm a flyer attached to her backpack with an unwound paper clip. Stopping in her tracks, the teenager pulled it off, paper clip and all. It read:

MEET ME

At the back of the school

At 6:00 (a.m. or p.m.

Your choice)

GET AN AUTOGRAPH

FROM THE MOST FAMOUS

PERSON IN THE WORLD

Be there ;)

Well, that's not creepy at all. Mariana mentally expressed how weirded out she was. She felt like deadpanning aloud and asking if the culprit meant Justin Bieber, but decided instead to look behind the corner in front of her. "You do realize I know you're right there, don't you?"

"You must be a psychic of some sort, right?" the underclassman's eyes were wide with hope, and Mariana wondered if this was sarcasm or not. "Well, are you?"

"No," she replied, deciding to play along and reply seriously, "although someone did think I was a vampire, once." The boy's face crumpled, like he had just seen an angel shatter to pieces.

"Are you a vampire, at least?"

"No. I'm just a simple human being." She chuckled amicably. This poor kid probably watched too much Netflix or something. She smiled at him. "My name is Mariana, by the way. Mariana Talon."

"I'm Jason." He shrugged apologetically. "Sorry if I don't shake your hand—germaphobia, y'know. So, when's your lunch period?"

"Oh, that's perfectly alright." She didn't know how badly this guy might need a friend, and after all, what harm can come from simply being kind? Being mean never does any good. Even so, she started walking away, feeling like it would be best to avoid further conversation. "I have to go now—class is about to start."

"Wait!" Jason called out to her, and having heard him, she had no choice but to turn around and answer with her typical "yes". Jason stepped towards her, brow creased. "You never answered my question."

"What was the question?"

"When is your lunch period?"

"I have Lunch 9…" Mariana answered, hesitantly.

'Me, too!" Jason's smile was so bright, she determined being a good friend to him was worth any sort of trouble if it made him that happy. "'Mind if I sit with you?"

"Oh! Um, sounds great!" She broadened her own smile, choosing inclusiveness as her path. "Then you can meet some of my friends."

"PERFECT!" his voice was so loud, the girl twitched in surprise. Catching himself, "I mean, cool…awesome. I'll see you then."

"And I'll see you, too." Mariana walked away, her stomach in knots with an overwhelming sense of worry. She arrived at her first class in the nick of time, heavy in thought but still participating as usual. Fidgeting with her rosary bracelet, she felt much better, and soon forgot all about her lunchtime worries…

This chapter was written mainly by me: up next will be Venus Luxia's and AlphonseLover13's ;D. Let us all know what you think of it, and feel free to check out their profiles, too!