Chapter 1: Enter! The Fallen Angel!

(Cleo's POV)

~whoosh-whoosh~ I pushed my hair out of my face irritably only for it to fall right back in place stubbornly. The wind… it was that blast wind coming from my restless wings. Yes, I said wings. My name is Cleo Jubilee and I'm a fallen angel. As I sat in my abandoned hut on the outskirts of a small, poor village down the mountain, I criss-crossed my legs, closed my eyes, and concentrated on a small shard of glass on the dirt floor.

"C'mon you damned shard! This is the fifth time we've tried this today! Hurry up and move!"

The shard darted across the room and landed in my lap. "Perfect." I thought to myself contently. I simply loved fiddling here and there with the psychic powers I had. Although they were still fairly weak because I was still young, 13 in fact, and my powers weren't trained for very long. 13 and kicked out of heaven already, I bet you want to know why huh? HA! That's another story for another time, it's a secret okay? Wink-wink! I gotta say I'm hilarious… and charming, compassionate, playful and…. Kind, but they don't see that. No, That little village, those damned people can't seem to realize that. Sometimes they make me so infuriated! That's how those accidents begin, with the screaming and yelling in panic and fear. Their ignorance and miscomprehension, calling me a freak… a monster because I'm different, but I swear I didn't mean to do it though! Kill those people I mean.

I stood up and sighed as my wings stopped flapping subconsciously. Such a shame, the breeze from them on this hot summer night actually felt nice. I peeked out of my "home" and looked down at the village. I despised them, HATED them. I hate that they don t even try to understand me, I hate that I'm stuck on earth until my stupid probation is done! Most of all, I hate… that I'm alone. So very misunderstood and alone that when I sing to myself everything around me seems eerily quiet, Of course it's probably just me and my wild imagination.

I stood at the edge of the cliff and breathed in the fresh mountain air that smelled of moist precipitation and fresh leaves. I looked up at the bright moon and smiled to it as a greeting. Somehow it always made me feel stronger, more confident with myself and my abilities, more powerful and intimidating than the average 13 year old girl. I stretched my wing cautiously then extended them fully. A 10 foot wingspan…. Nice! I braced myself then took off into the air gracefully. It felt good to exercise my wings once in a while. I tucked my wings in and did a nosedive down the steep slope of the mountain. The wind whistling in my ears and the pressure making it seem like my ear drums were about to pop but at that moment I didn't care, I just loved the rush. I laughed and picked up more speed then did some aerobatics spinning and twirling, throwing my hands out and shouting with joy. "WHOOOOOOOOOOO!"

I landed at the base of the mountain. Once again my messy, red hair fell into my face again and I had to push it back. The town was pretty quiet and the streets were deserted so I had no problem creeping into the grocery store then the bakery and getting the stuff I need. I didn't have to steal anything; there were a few people who understand me, Mr. and Mrs. Givings who owned both the shop and the bakery. Bless their souls. They both gave me a few groceries and a loaf of bread every Tuesday since I not only saved their grandsons life once while he wandered up the mountain alone, but I also flew to the next town for them to get any supplies they needed. I did say I was generous didn't I? However, they only allow me to come late at night after they closed, who knows what the rest of the towns people would do to them if they found out that the Givings family was helping me out? Frankly, I preferred it to be this way because it spared me the trouble of all the screaming, townsfolk fleeing in terror, and the blood that came with it.

"Say hi to the grandkids for me Mrs. G!" I said as I left the store with my bags.

"You know I will honey! Now you be careful out there!"

She called after me. God how I loved that lady, if everyone in the world was just like her… hell I might actually like humans. I looked down and noticed a slightly smaller bag inside my bag with the bread. I put down my grocery bag to look inside. "I don't remember ordering anything else…." I mumbled. I pulled out the smaller bag cautiously, it was warm and it smelled like… no! It couldn't be! I peeked inside to see a dozen freshly bakes chocolate chip cookies in the bag! My all time favorite sweet! I smiled and bit into one savoring the melty chocolate and the soft, sweet salty dough. The sweetness gave me a warm sensation that trickled through my body. Now THESE were baked with love. There was a note attached to the bottom of the bag. I put my half eaten cookie back in the bag then I closed it and read the note.

"Dear Cleo,

I made this batch especially for you. Thank you for all the wonderful things you've done for me and my husband. Open with care dear because their piping hot. You're always in my thoughts and heart.

Love,

Mrs. G"

That woman…. I had to get her something nice tomorrow when I flew to the next town. I put the note in my pocket the gripped my necklace tightly. It was the only possession I was allowed to take when I was banished besides the clothes on my back and my last shred of dignity. I was a star from the Andromeda galaxy that my mom had given to me as a farewell gift, and I mean it was an actual star. It only shined on the night of the full moon though. Any other time though it just looked like an ordinary white pearl hanging around my neck. Sometimes when I thought about my real home up there in the heavens I gripped this necklace in reminiscent agony so hard my nails would dig into my palm making it bleed. I needed to get home, to which one I wasn't sure. I picked up my groceries and continued my long trudge though this dead village.

~bump-bump~ I stopped in my tracks and looked around the corner into the village square. About seven or eight teenage boys were playing with a ball, squabbling over possession of it and yelling things like "I'm over here!" and "I'm open!" I put my bags down and watched them play, fascinated by the cooperation and teamwork and….friendship. They had friends to play with, to laugh with and I didn't. I would be lying if I said I wasn't envious of them. As one of the guys kicked to his left, I guess he was really getting into the game because the ball landed on the roof above me. They all groaned in unison complaining about their lost ball. For me however this just screamed opportunity! Maybe if I got the ball for them they wouldn't think I was such a bad person, heck they might even invite me to play! I placed my groceries behind a barrel of mill then I extended my wings and took off, easily picking up the ball then leaping down a few feet away from them smiling.

"I believe this is yours?" I said as I held out the ball. Their faces all contorted with fear except for the one guy up front who was the oldest, the same guy who had kicked the ball on the roof. He was about 16 with dusty blonde hair and dark brown eyes. He glared at me coldly with so much hate my once resonating confidence shriveled away.

"Go away Demoness! Your kind isn't welcome here! Haven't you already caused us enough trouble?" The other boys regained their confidence and started yelling things like "Freak!" and "Monster!" I stepped back from them numbly and dropped the ball. "Why... why do they hate me so much? Why do they look at me with those eyes filled with revulsion?" The guy in the front laughed and encouraged them to insult me even more. I felt my eyes sting as tears welled up inside them. I should've known this would happen, me and my stupid optimism and hopefulness. The blonde guy picked up a large rock that he tossed into the air once before catching it and throwing it at me. He had pretty good aim because the rock would've hit me directly in the face if I hadn't caught it.

"Didn't your mother ever tell you not to throw rocks kiddy?" I said angrily as I crushed the rock to pieces with my bare hand. My vision was going red, I felt a tugging sensation in my gut, and I could hear the blood pulsing in my ear. Oh no, it was happening again! I could feel a surge of energy as I reached out my hand towards him and his body went stiff in my grasp. The other kids shrieked in terror then ran away and left him. So much for loyalty I guess.

"N-NO! STOP! PLEASE! I BEG YOU!" He screamed as he struggled in a fruitless effort to rip his body from my control. The anger swelled inside me and I looked at him with the same hateful glared he looked at me with. "Kill him now." A voice sang in my head. I slowly began clenching my outstretched hand and the blonde boy screamed in agony as I slowly crushed him to death. I heard his bones shattering under the pressure of my constricting grip. The blood leaking from his mouth and his eyes bulged, practically popping out of that ignorant skull of his. I was going to make him suffer: make him feel all of the pain and frustration that I felt in his dying moments.

I squeezed and squeezed, wallowing in the bitter sweet satisfaction I got from hearing him scream for my mercy and forgiveness. The thrill was exhilarating as I completely clenched my fist for the final blow.

~splat~ I had finally calmed down and breathed heavily. I wasn't seeing red anymore…. I wasn't angry… and I wasn't squeezing anything anymore. I didn't have to.

Blood… blood everywhere.

There was blood splattered on the nearby walls, the windows, and the ground, mostly the ground.

Blood… blood on me?

I looked at my clothes and hands soaked with the crimson red of my victims' body. It hadn't sunken in yet until I heard a heartbreaking scream echo from across the square. A crowd of people were all running across towards the scene before them.

"HUMPHRY! NOOOOOOOO!"

A woman with the same dusty, blonde hair knelt beside his body and sobbed violently. My hands began to tremble as it hit me full force of what I had really done. As the woman wept beside the bloody corpse the people all murmured viciously and turned their eyes on me with that usual fear and loathing that never seemed to wear off. That unnatural hatred that had in their eyes shined freely without any restraint or pity.

I looked to me far left and spotted Mrs. Givings looking out of her window sadly with only remorse in her eyes. Whether it was for me or the boy I couldn't tell. I did my best to ignore the icy glares as I put my head down and walked to where I had hid my groceries. As I picked them up then spread my wings and took off to my mountain retreat once more I couldn't help but shed a tear. That evil, wicked feeling I got when I wanted to kill a person, I hated it. I left just as quickly as it had come, leaving only left over despair.

I hated them all…..

But moreover I hate myself…

I took off my bloody clothes and washed them in a nearby by creek. The faded bloodstains still remained as I hung them up to dry and lay on the grass in my under clothes. I swear I didn't mean to kill them. The people I mean, especially not that boy who had yet to really begin his life, but he helped me to make my first discovery, People will treat you however they want until you hold their life in your hand.