I heard the door open and looked up to see the group of girls crowded into the small room. "Come on, I put the board in here." One of them, Abby, said coming in first, then stopping in her tracks when she saw me. "Azrael...What are you doing here?"

I got up and nudged the board with the side of my foot, making her flinch, "A Ouija board? Really? How cliched can you get?"

"We're just gonna summon a ghost, Rae." Molly pouted. "It's fun."

I exchanged glances with Bethany and smirked, "Then by all means. Don't let me stop you. But you're not gonna stop me from supervising. I know a thing or two about death and know it's nothing to take lightly. It's luck of the draw with games like this."

"Uh huh. Sure." Abbey didn't look convinced but the other girls, Hallie, Savannah, and even Madison, who was a skeptic, looked a little worried. "Just don't ruin the mood."

My eyes flashed and the others noticeably tensed. Ahhh...Human nature. "I wouldn't dream of it." I went back to the bed and climbed back up as the girls arranged themselves in a circle around the board. Abby took a long stemmed sherry glass and placed it rim down. She explained the rules and the all put their fingers on the glass as Abby said a chant, over and over again.

This went on for five minutes before the girls started to get restless. But then, when I thought maybe I wouldn't have to intervene, A pale figure appeared drifting above the board. I knew that only I could see her, since I was the angel of death. It was Taylah, Beth and Molly's friend whom Jake had killed. Her ghost wore what she had been wearing when she died, a Bryce Hamilton Uniform, platinum hair up in a high pony tail, bangs hanging down just above her brows, black earrings, her neck sporting and open wound.

It wasn't bleeding anymore since this was her ghost, nor did the wound seem deep...as if she had been fighting Jake's influence when it happened. The cut glowed a pulsing red color, setting off her ashy skin. She had a scared look on her face. Her eyes widened when she saw me.

"Azrael...You have to help me. We have to stop them. They don't Know what their messing with." She struggled to move the glass, only having enough energy to make it wobble, getting all of their attention. I knew Taylah wouldn't hurt them, so I sent let my aura build her strength. She was now successfully spelling out a message for those who couldn't hear her.

Abby spelled out the letters as Taylah moved the glass, "Stop. Stop now. Leave this place. You are all in danger."

"Oooh. That sounds exciting," Madison said mockingly, while the others grew more and more uncertain.

"Stop. Listen. Evil is here." That made me glare at the board... Maybe I would have to take charge after all.

"Why should we believe you? Do we know you?" Abby asked and the glass moved to YES. "Tell us your name."

"Tay..." she looked at me uncertainly and I I gave her a nod to continue, "...lah."

"Taylah?" Molly whispered, her voice pained. "Ok, this isn't funny. Who did it? What the hell is wrong with you guys?"

"Molly...It wasn't them. " I told her. "Taylah is here."

"There's one way to find out for sure." Abby looked more determined. "We have to summon her."

Taylah shook her head frantically. "NO! Don't let them!"

"Abby, no. Listen to what she said. She wants you to stop." I stood up.

"Go on, Abby." Madison rolled her eyes. "Nothing is going to happen."

Abby, obviously enjoying playing medium, called out loudly, "We command you, come forth and show yourself!"

Taylah looked terrified and her body jerked violently, like the picture on a TV screen during bad weather. Then she disappeared all together and a dark shadowy mist took her place above the board. It had glowing red eyes and had the shape of a man, though I sensed something more sinister. Even without me, this...thing, was powerful. The atmosphere drastically changed.

"We command you! Come forward!" Abby ordered again and the thing seemed to snicker, a hissing sound, and it's presence in the room grew stronger.

"IT"S HERE! WILL YOU STOP SUMMONING ALREADY!?" I yelled at her, "Taylah tried to warn you but you didn't listen! Stop this! NOW!"

"We can't..." Abby looked around, "Can you hear us?"
The glass immediately shot to YES, making the girls squeal in surprise at it's strength.

"Why have you come? Do you have a message for someone here?" YES, "Who is it for?"

"ANNABEL LEE"

Abby looked confused, "There's no one here by that name."

My eyes widened in realization. "ABBY. END IT. NOW!" Jake was here in the room with us. The figure moved around the room, keeping his eyes on me.

The doorknob and windows began rattling, as if he was trying to get out, but couldn't because they were locked. "HANDS OFF"

Molly was shaking in fear and pulled her hands free, kicking the Ouija board away from her, sending it skidding across the floor and into the wall, shattering the glass into tiny fragments. The door slammed open, hitting the wall and the figure melted to the floor, almost snake like, and shot out of the room and out of sight.

"MOLLY!" Hallie screeched, "What have you done?"

"I don't want to play anymore..."She was crying now, hugging herself, "Beth and Rae were right. This was a stupid idea, we should have never done it."

"It's ok, Molly." Bethany hugged her.

"I wish it was." The girls all looked at me, and I sighed, "What was here was trapped as long as you all kept your fingers on the glass. Molly broke the circle. You could have sent it back by saying 'Goodbye'...but now he's free." My eyes were cold. Now that Jake was back there was no telling what he would do. "Bethany. We're leaving. Now."

I took her wrist and pulled her out of the room. "Go find Xavier. They just brought back, Jake."

"What?!" She silently yelled." Xavier and his friends went to the lake..."

I handed her my phone, "Try calling him. I'll keep an eye out for Jake. Stay close. He wouldn't have gotten far."

We made our way outside, Bethany trying and failing to reach Xavier. The people who either couldn't fit or who had gotten tired of being in the crowded house had come out here to talk, drink, in Ryan's case, get high...Teenager stuff. I was about to insist going back home without him when Xavier's friend, Wes Cowan, came tearing out of the woods on a motorcycle, his face pale. He stopped the bike near us, looking shaken.

"Wes, what's wrong?" Beth asked him.

"There's been an accident at the lake. Someone call 911."

People began frantically trying their phones but there was no service out here.

"What happened?" I demanded.

Wes gave Beth an apologetic look. "Woods...We dared him to dive bomb into the lake from a tree. There...there were rocks n the water... He won't awake up."

Bethany's legs went out from under her and one of Ryan's friends caught her, holding her up. "Was he drunk?" He asked.

"Of course. We all were. He cut his head... A lot of blood."

'Beth...I don't feel like reaping...' I sent her in my head so the others wouldn't hear.

'Why?' she looked at me.

'Either he's not dying...Or reaper is coming for him...'

'Azrael...I can't lose him...'

'...I know.'

"Can someone take me there? I took first aid training a few years ago." 'I'll hold off the reapers. Get Gabriel.'

"I can take you." Wes offered, patting his bike, "It's faster than running through the woods in the dark."

"Thanks." I got on behind him and Wes kicked the bike into gear.

"Hey! What about a helmet?" Ben asked, but Wes wasn't listening.

"No time." He took my arms an put them around his waist. "Hang on tight. And whatever you do, don't let go."

Instead of going into the woods like I expected, Wes drove down the driveway toward the highway. "Shouldn't we go the other way?" I called over the engine.

"Shortcut!" that didn't make since. If this way was shorter, Why didn't he come from this way too? We turned onto the asphalt and i looked back at the party. Xavier waled out of the woods, confused at the commotion, but perfectly fine. Something was wrong.

"Wes, let me off."

He didn't answer, only revved the engine and picked up speed. I tried to move but my arms seemed to be pinned down. I couldn't move.

"LET ME OFF!"
"Too late." A cool familiar British accent replied. Wes's broad chest slimmed and became cool to the touch. big hands on the handles became long, pale, and slender. Short blond hair became long and black. He looked over his shoulder at me. Jake hadn't changed a bit. Only his eyes... They were no longer the jade color that had once captivated me, begged for my trust. They were the deep burgundy of dried blood.

I realized that this was not the Jake Thorn I'd once know. Gabriel had killed his human form. That kind of thing took a long time to regenerate. He wasn't hiding anymore. This was his true form, the familiar beauty further proving he'd once been an angel I'd met before. But who? I knew angels who had fallen, but I couldn't remember any who had joined Lucifer. It didn't happen often.

Maneuvering the bike single handed, he turned, using the other to grab the back of my neck, "Gotcha, Princess." He purred. I tried to thrash out of his grip or off of the bike. I even spread my wings, trying to catch the wind and slow us down, but nothing helped. Suddenly, I heard a loud cracking sound and looking forward, saw that in front of us the asphalt cracked open, revealing one of the many portals to Hell. I only ever escorted damned souls to them, but now. It seemed like I was going to be dragged down myself. And sure enough, soon we began falling into the void, the opening closing behind us.